The influence of an adhesive layer on the interaction between a piezo-actuator and an elastic 3D-layer and on the excited wave fields

Piezoceramic transducers are extensively used in nondestructive testing (NDT), structural health monitoring (SHM) and condition monitoring (CM) of various mechanical systems including wind turbines, aircraft structures, bridges and pipeline systems. Piezoelectric transducers are surface bonded on the host structure and are excited to produce structural responses. This article highlights the effect of the adhesive layer between the studied structure and the transducer on the contact characteristics and the structural wave fields. The research also focuses on the efficiency of the both methods used for calculation of the occuring wave fields: finite-element (FE) method and semi-analytical approach based on the Green’s matrix representations and the Fourier transform.