Motivated by its success as a structural health monitoring solution, electromechanical impedance measurements have been utilized as a means for non-destructive evaluation of conventionally and additively manufactured parts. In this process, piezoelectric transducers are either directly embedded in the part under test or bonded to its surface. While this approach has proven to be capable of detecting manufacturing anomalies, instrumentation requirements of the parts under test have hindered its wide adoption. To address this limitation, indirect electromechanical impedance measurement, through instrumented fixtures or testbeds, has recently been investigated for part authentication and non-destructive evaluation applications. In this work, electromechanical impedance signatures obtained with piezoelectric transducers indirectly attached to the part under test, via an instrumented fixture, are numerically investigated. This aims to better understand the coupling between the instrumented fixture and the part under test and its effects ON sensitivity to manufacturing defects. For this purpose, numerical models are developed for the instrumented fixture, the part under test, and the fixture/part assembly. The frequency-domain spectral element method is used to obtain numerical solutions and simulate the electromechanical impedance signatures over the frequency range of 10–50 kHz. Criteria for selecting the frequency range that is most sensitive to defects in the part under test are proposed and evaluated using standard damage metric definitions. It was found that optimal frequency ranges can be preselected based on the fixture design and its dynamic response.

Ultrasonic atomization of bulk liquids has received extensive attention in the past few decades due to the ability to produce controlled droplet sizes, a necessity for many industries such as spray coating and aerosol drug delivery. Despite the increase in attention, one novel application of this technology has been overlooked until recently, and that is the moisture removal capabilities of atomization. The first ever ultrasonic dryer, created by researchers at Oak Ridge National Lab in 2016, applies the mechanisms of atomization to mechanically remove moisture from clothing. The process utilizes the ultrasonic vibrations created by a piezoelectric transducer in direct contact with a wet fabric to rupture the liquid-vapor boundary of the retained water. Once ruptured, smaller droplets are ejected from the bulk liquid and are actively removed from the fabric pores. The mechanisms of droplet ejection from this event are related to both capillary waves forming on the liquid surface (Capillary Wave Theory), as well as the implosion of cavitation bubbles formed from the hydraulic shocks propagating from the transducer (Cavitation Theory). In this work, we present an analytical model for predicting the moisture removal rate of a wet fabric exposed to ultrasonic vibrations, and connect the atomization events to a global variable, acceleration, in order to decouple the relationship between the transducer and applied voltage. The acceleration governing atomization is predicted using a verified numerical model. The numerical model is shown to assist in developing ultrasonic drying by means of efficiently evaluating transducer design changes.

Total Knee Replacement (TKR) is an important and in-demand procedure for the aging population of the United States. In recent decades, the number of TKR procedures performed has shown an increase. This pattern is expected to continue in the coming decades. Despite medical advances in orthopedic surgery, a high number of patients, approximately 20%, are dissatisfied with their procedure outcomes. Common causes that are suggested for this dissatisfaction include loosening of the implant components as well as infection. To eliminate loosening as a cause, it is necessary to determine the state of the implant both intra- and post-operatively. Previous research has focused on passively sensing the compartmental loads between the femoral and tibial components. Common methods include using strain gauges or even piezoelectric transducers to measure force. An alternative to this is to perform real-time structural health monitoring (SHM) of the implant to determine changes in the state of the system. A commonly investigated method of SHM, referred to as the electromechanical impedance (EMI) method, involves using the coupled electromechanical properties of piezoelectric transducers to measure the host structure’s condition. The EMI method has already shown promise in aerospace and infrastructure applications, but has seen limited testing for use in the biomechanical field. This work is intended to validate the EMI method for use in detecting damage in cemented bone-implant interfaces, with TKR being used as a case study to specify certain experimental parameters. An experimental setup which represents the various material layers found in a bone-implant interface is created with various damage conditions to determine the ability for a piezoelectric sensor to detect and quantify the change in material state. The objective of this work is to provide validation as well as a foundation on which additional work in SHM of orthopedic implants and structures can be performed.

Computational modeling, instrumented linkages, optical technologies, MRI, and radiographic techniques have been widely used to study knee motion after total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. Information provided by these methods has helped designers to develop implants with better clinical performance and surgeons to obtain an improved understanding of the stability and mobility of the joint. Correspondingly, overall patient satisfaction with respect to the reduction in pain and recovery of normal functioning of the joint has been improving. However, about 20% of patients are still not fully satisfied with their surgical outcomes. The main obstacle in the current state-of-the-art is that a comprehensive post-operative understanding of knee balance is still unavailable, mostly due to a lack of in vivo data collected from the joint after surgery. This work presents an attempt to develop a self-powered instrumented knee implant for in vivo data acquisition. The knee sensory system in this study utilizes several embedded piezoelectric transducers in the tibial bearing of the knee replacement in order to provide sensing and energy harvesting capabilities. Through a series of analytical modeling, finite element simulation, and experimental testing, the performance of the suggested system is evaluated and a dimensionally optimized design of an instrumented TKR is achieved. More specifically, a comprehensive platform is established in order to combine the knowledge of embedded piezoelectric sensors and energy harvesters, musculoskeletal modeling of the knee joint, multiphysics finite element modeling, additive manufacturing techniques, image processing, and experimental knee loading simulation in order to achieve the experimentally validated and optimized instrumented knee implant design. The cumulative work presented in this article encompasses three main studies performed on the sensing performance of the proposed design: first, preliminary parametric studies of the effect of local dimensional and material parameters on the electromechanical behavior of the embedded sensory system; second, investigation of the ability to sense total force and center of pressure location; and third, evaluation of an enhanced system with the ability to sense compartmental forces and contact locations. Additionally, the energy harvesting capacity of the system is investigated to ensure the achievement of a fully self-powered sensory system. Results obtained from the experimental analysis of the system demonstrate the successful sensing and energy harvesting performance of the designs achieved in this study.

Although there have been numerous efforts into harnessing the snap through dynamics of bistable structures with piezoelectric transducers to achieve large energy conversion, these same dynamics are undesirable under morphing applications where stationary control of the structure’s configuration is paramount. To suppress cross-well vibrations that primarily result from periodic excitation at low frequencies, a novel control strategy is proposed and implemented on the piezoelectrically generated bistable laminate, which consists of only Macro Fiber Composites (MFC) in a [0 MFC /90 MFC ] T layup. While under cross-well regimes such as chaotic or limit cycle oscillations, a single MFC is actuated past the laminate’s limit voltage to eliminate one of its potential wells and force it into the remaining stable state. Simultaneously, a Positive Position Feedback (PPF) controller suppresses the resulting single-well oscillations through the other MFC. This dual control strategy is demonstrated with an electromechanical model through the suppression of various cross-well regimes, and results in significant reduction of amplitude. The active control capability of the laminate prevents snap through instability when under large enough external vibrations and adds to its multifunctionality along with morphing and broadband energy harvesting.

Nonlinear energy sink (NES) is employed to passively reduce vibration transmission in this study. A two-degree-of-freedom system, comprising a primary structure coupled with a grounded piezoelectric NES possessing essential nonlinearity, is investigated for both harmonic force excitation and base excitation. The piezoelectric NES acts as not only a vibration isolator but also an energy harvester when connected to an alternating current circuit. Approximate analysis is carried out by the harmonic balance method and validated by numerical solutions using ODE45 in Matlab and equivalent circuit simulation. The effectiveness of the nonlinear vibration isolation system is evaluated by the force (displacement) transmissibility defined as the root-mean-square ratio of transmitted force (displacement) to the excitation force (displacement), which is compared with that of its linear counterparts. Output voltage of the piezoelectric transducer is also derived. By and large, it is found that the piezoelectric NES could reduce the force (displacement) transmissibility while collecting electric energy efficiently in a relatively broad frequency range.

In the United States, Total Knee Replacement (TKR) is a surgery many people go through, but frequently, patients find that they are unhappy post-surgery due to misalignment and loosening of the knee. An estimated 20% of knee replacement recipients report discomfort or undesired functionality within their first few years after surgery. Surgical techniques currently rely heavily on experience and tactile feedback to correctly align the knee replacement. If surgical teams were to have access to data regarding compartmental forces within the knee over the life of the implant, then a more precise balancing procedure could be implemented. As it stands, the only way to obtain this in vivo data is for patients to undergo post-operative fluoroscopy procedures; unfortunately, patients have no incentive to undergo this process. This study tests the capabilities of knee bearings embedded with piezoelectric transducers to estimate the magnitude and location of loading given certain inputs. The prototype is fabricated from ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining. For this study, to simulate loads under both normal and irregular knee positions, a custom fixture is designed and fabricated for use in a uniaxial load frame. The problem at hand necessitates a more realistic knee testing environment that can simulate the loading types of both balanced and imbalanced knees. Thus, the fixture permits various degrees of internal and external rotation. Additionally, through use of an X-Y translational table, the setup allows for in-plane translation between the condyles of the femoral component and the bearing prototype. This study compares values of force location from the piezoelectric sensors to measurements from pressure sensitive film. The piezoelectric knee bearing is tested to lay the groundwork for in vivo testing. Future work expanding upon this research would include designing and optimizing an in vivo knee bearing replacement to facilitate force location and magnitude data collection in a system free from external power sources by utilizing the energy harvesting capabilities of piezoelectrics.

In this paper, we report a low-frequency and wide-bandwidth piezoelectric energy transducer. The transducer is designed based on a piezoelectric plate, a truss mechanism, a spring-mass system and a stopper. The spring-mass system receives kinetic energy from excitation and induces forces, which are further transmitted, amplified by the truss mechanism and applied onto the piezoelectric plate. The stopper is added to truncate the amplitude of the mass. The mass and the stopper interact through impacts. The impact force triggers dynamic bifurcation in the transducer. By taking advantage of the superharmonic resonances and nonlinearity born from the bifurcation, the transducer is able to work efficiently with a wide bandwidth. Through experiment studies on a fabricated prototype, the lowest resonant frequency is around 3.2Hz with the peak-peak voltage output up to 55V. The bandwidth of the transducer is approximately 4.5Hz out of our targeted frequency domain [2.5Hz, 10Hz], broadened by up to 20 times compared to that of the linear system without the stopper.

This paper focuses on the design and development of a bio-inspired mobile robot using piezoelectric transducers as drives. The design of the device aimed to imitate the trajectory movement of a crawl-like animal. Design constraints as producing controlled movement with piezoelectric transducer, as well as the combination of multiple piezoelectric patches into one mobile robot are presented in their practical aspects. The robot uses 2 piezoelectric transducers as main drives, but also as main structural components of the device. The patches are connected with a thin light rod, and the kinematic of movement is achieved with 4 tiny wooden legs connected on each of the patches. The project investigates the possibility and effectiveness of the piezoelectric transducers for movement of the bio-inspired mobile robot. From conceptual development, to the mechanical design and control, the mobile robot is used to test different trajectories of movement. Ni RIO Evaluation kit has been incorporated as a real-time and FPGA control platform for the mobile robot while using Labview programing environment. To accomplish complex trajectories of movement the velocity of the robot was measured for straight line and rotation of the robot.

Total Knee Replacement (TKR) is a very common procedure in the United States, especially with the aging population. However, despite high numbers of procedures and advancing technology, about 20% of patients with TKR are unsatisfied with the level of discomfort they experience with their replacement. Prevailing theories suggest that this is due to gradual misalignment of the knee. Multiple methods have been attempted to detect the cause of mechanical failure in replacements. One possible method for performing state detection in knees is the embedding of piezoelectric transducers (PZTs) into the bearing component. Preliminary testing of PZT’s embedded in simplified plastic components has shown that this method contains promise. With this said, further testing on realistic knee implant components is still needed to solidify the method’s validity. Commercial knee implant bearings utilize medical grade Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMW) and manufacturers utilize proprietary processing technology to develop the final components. This work focuses on the development of surrogate knee implant prototypes that replicate the material and geometric properties of actual knee implants to provide a convenient and economical solution to evaluate the performance of embedded PZTs. In this work, scans of an original knee bearing are taken and used to create a 3D model. From there, a variety of processes including 3D printing and Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machining are used to develop surrogate prototypes that are compared for accuracy to a benchmark. This benchmark is taken as a polished CNC machined non-medical grade UHMW prototype. Standards that the prototypes must meet include cost and time effectiveness as well as similarity in geometry and material property to the benchmark. The performance of the prototypes is experimentally compared through mechanical load testing by using pressure sensitive films placed between the femoral and bearing components of the implant as well as measuring piezoelectric output. In addition, the measured voltage output is compared to predictions from an analytical model for validation of the piezoelectric performance. These two experiments help to derive information about the applied load distribution and location, allowing comparisons to be made to the benchmark. This study shows that, while some types of 3D printing, such as fused deposition modeling, provide fast and cheap prototypes, other options such as stereolithography printing produce higher quality and more replicative components. Results of this study can be used in the development of useful surrogates for the advancement of biomedical sensors.

Total knee replacement has been utilized to restore the functionality of diseased knee joints for more than four decades. Today, despite the relatively high level of patient satisfaction, still about 20% of patients are not fulfilled with their surgical outcomes in terms of function and reduction in pain. There is still an ongoing discussion on correlating the postoperative functionality of the joint to intraoperative alignment, which suffers from lack of in vivo data from the knee after surgery. However, it is necessary to mention that using computer assisted surgical techniques, the outcomes of knee replacement procedures have been remarkably improved. In order to obtain information about the knee function after the operation, the design of a self-powered instrumented knee implant is proposed in this study. The design is a total knee replacement ultra high molecular weight polyethylene insert equipped with four piezoelectric transducers distributed in the medial and lateral compartments of the bearing. The piezoelectric elements are employed to measure the axial force applied on the tibial insert through the femoral component of the joint as well as to track the movement in the center of pressure. In addition, generated voltage from the piezoelectrics is harvested and stored to power embedded electronics for further signal conditioning and data transmitting purposes. The performance of the instrumented implant is investigated via experimental testing on a fabricated prototype in terms of sensing and power harvesting capacity. Piezoelectric force and center of pressure measurements are compared to the actual quantities recorded from the load frame and pressure sensitive films in order to evaluate the performance of the sensing system. The output voltage of the piezoelectric transducers is rectified and stored in a capacitor to evaluate the energy harvesting ability of the system. The results show only a small level of error in sensing the force and the location of center of pressure. Additionally, a 4.9 V constant voltage is stored in a 3.3 mF capacitor after 3333 loading cycles. The sensing and energy harvesting results present the promising potential of this system to be used as an integrated self-powered instrumented knee implant.

Growing demands for Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) and also total knee revision surgery combined with the cost, risk, and complication of the surgery have led to numerus attempts to improve surgical techniques, implant design, and postoperative orthopedic therapies. Although abundant information about knee function and reaction forces and moments have been provided by researchers through biomechanical models, cadaver testing, in-vitro testing, and limited in-vivo measurements, rigorous real-time in-vivo data from knee implants is still required to improve the performance of TKAs. Instrumented knee implants using piezoelectric (PZT) transducers have promising potential to satisfy clinical needs in terms of continuous in-vivo data acquisition, self-powered operation, and retention of prevalent implant design, which can ultimately lead to improved patient satisfaction. In this study, a simplified Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) Polyethylene TKA bearing geometry with an embedded PZT on the bottom surface is proposed and investigated to analyze sensing and power harvesting, and longevity of the conceptual design. As a result, this work is separated into two distinct sections. The first part provides an evaluation study on the performance of the design in terms of output voltage and power using both simulations and experimental tests. Finite element analysis (FEA) is employed to model the stress-strain behavior of the system and to develop effective force reaction on the PZT transducer. An analytical model is used to describe the electromechanical behavior of the PZT transducer under the effective force predicted by FEA, and the output voltage and power of the system are simulated. Furthermore, results obtained from modeling are validated through experimental compression testing using simulated gait conditions. Embedding a PZT element in the knee bearing may cause changes in stress distribution in UHMW and as a result the variation in the fatigue life of the bearings with encapsulated PZTs is considered as a remarkable factor to investigate. Therefore, in the second part of the work, a parametric study on the effect of dimensional parameters on the longevity and electromechanical performance of the design is performed. High cycle stress life of the polyethylene component with embedded PZT transducer as well as transferred force to the PZT and generated voltage under periodic knee load are studied. . The diameter and depth of the pocket machined in the UHMW bearing, the thickness ratio of the PZT element to the UHMW component, and modification of the contact edges inside the PZT pocket and PZT are considered as effective geometrical parameters on the fatigue life of the UHMW bearing and are studied individually. Two designs are investigated; the initial design with sharp corners and a revised design with filleted corners. The results show a significant fatigue life improvement by adding a fillet radius modification on the sharp corners of the UHMW and PZT components accompanied by a slight reduction in output voltage. The effect of pocket diameter is dependent on the geometry and for the initial design the fatigue life and output voltage increase when diameter increases. For the revised design, fatigue life decreases for large fillet radii and increases for small fillet radii and converge as diameter is increased, whereas the output voltage slightly increases with large pocket diameters. Pocket depth has a significant reverse effect on fatigue life and output voltage of the PZT, such that a 0.05 mm deeper pocket results in no force transfer and no voltage but improved fatigue life.

Vibration energy harvesting extracts electrical energy from vibrating structures. The past studies of vibration energy harvesting suggest that the efficiency can be improved by switch regulation in the harvesting circuit. The switch-regulation is carried out depending on the motion of the target structure with the use of vibration sensors such as displacement sensor or accelerometer. This paper proposes a new vibration self-sensing method for switching energy harvesters that do not use those vibration sensors. In this method, the voltage of the piezoelectric transducer is measured, and the structural vibrational status is estimated from the measured voltage. The transducer voltage is not smooth and does not maintain the sinusoidal wave even when the structure vibrates in a sinusoidal wave because the switch energy harvesting method inverses the transducer voltage at every period. Thus, we establish a state observer based on a Kalman filter to estimate three state values of the target harvesting system: modal displacement, modal velocity, and electric charge in the transducer. This paper describes the construction processes for the observer. The observed value is the transducer voltage. We also show an electric circuit for measuring the transducer voltage. Finally, we confirm the efficiency of the proposed state observer for switch harvesting with numerical simulations.

Piezoelectric metamaterials with LC shunt circuits have potential in acoustic wave attenuation and guiding. This type of metamaterial takes advantages of the electro-mechanical coupling and local resonance from LC circuit. A unit cell of the metamaterial consists of the host medium and a piezoelectric transducer attached onto the host plate, while an LC shunt circuit is connected to the transducer. In this research, we present theoretical modeling to analyze the piezoelectric metamaterial. The influences of electro-mechanical coupling and system parameters with respect to bandgap characteristics are presented. Moreover, the unique feature of such an electro-mechanical coupling system, the online tenability, is discussed and analyzed.

Ocean resources have the potential to provide a large source of renewable energy for communities around the globe. Technologies such as wave energy converters must be designed to operate remotely in harsh environmental conditions. These structures are exposed to widely varying structural loads, and there is interest in developing monitoring systems that can identify the presence of damage, estimate its severity, and provide maintenance or control recommendations that could protect the system from failure. The research presented in this paper focuses on using the electromechanical impedance response of piezoelectric transducers to monitor the health of composite materials similar to those used in the fabrication of several wave energy converters. Techniques have been developed to detect and classify discrete damage events such as holes and slots within composite plates, as well as fatigue damage that evolves due to manufacturing flaws such as delamination and laminate waves. Using data collected over a frequency range of 100 Hz to 100 kHz, a series of genetic algorithms and statistical modeling techniques were used to classify damage type and severity. Plate studies with discrete damage (holes, notches) provided a large dataset of 113 observations comprised of seven distinct classes, one baseline and six damage severities. Random forest techniques were used to classify this population, with accuracies of 93.4% obtained. Fatigue studies of rectangular composite beams containing manufacturing defects (delamination, laminate waves), produced a measurement population of 14 instances comprised of six distinct classes. Framing this problem as the time evolution of damage due to fatigue loads allowed the use of hidden Markov models to differentiate the type of manufacturing flaw present, with results indicating 85.7% accuracy given this limited dataset.

Each year in the US, over 700,000 patients receive total knee arthroplasty to restore joint function and improve quality of life. A major challenge during surgery is achieving proper ligamentous balance. Improperly balanced knees can lead to accelerated wear of the articular surfaces, reduced range of motion, and patient discomfort and pain. Currently, surgeons rely heavily on their experience and their interpretation of the “feel” of a balanced knee. The goal of the proposed research is to investigate the use of piezoelectric materials embedded in total knee replacement bearings in order to sense forces in vivo and convert knee loads into usable electrical energy to power the embedded sensor. This paper presents an investigation of the effects of various geometric properties on the performance of piezoelectric transducers embedded into polyethylene knee replacement bearings. This work takes a combined modeling and experimental approach to investigate the effects of the overall bearing geometry as well as placement of the embedded transducers on the performance of the system. A simple cylindrical geometry is chosen to represent the knee bearing in order to isolate various effects. Specifically, the curvature of the upper bearing surface is investigated to determine the effects of different curvature profiles on the voltage output of the embedded transducer. Designs with the smallest diameter of curvature are found to provide increased load transfer to the embedded piezoelectric and larger generated power. Additionally, the radial placement of the embedded piezoelectric device is investigated to determine the performance of the system as the piezoelectric device is translated from the geometric center of the bearing to the outer edge. Results show that optimal performance is obtained for placement near the center of the geometric curved feature. Lastly, the effects of variations in machining and fabrication are investigated and it is found that tight tolerances must be maintained in order to obtain experimental results that can be accurately predicted by the model developed in this work.

Structural health monitoring can enhance reliability, increase safety, and decrease maintenance costs by detecting damage at an early stage. By taking advantage of the electromechanical coupling, piezoelectric materials have the potential to harvest energy from ambient vibration sources to provide low-power electricity for self-powered electronic devices. In comparison with other piezoelectric transducers, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires carry the added advantages of structural flexibility, lower cost, compactness, and lighter weight. In this study, the energy harvesting capabilities of nanoscale ZnO piezoelectric nanowires (NW) grown on the surface of glass fiber fabrics are investigated experimentally. A series of cantilevered carbon fiber beams containing a controlled amount of ZnO nanowires is evaluated. The absolute electrical energy dissipation is quantified by measuring the output power over a broad spectrum of known vibratory loads and frequencies. The maximum amount of power extracted is obtained by employing resistive impedance matching. Here, a maximum peak of ∼6.7 mV was generated when the beam containing ZnO nanowires was excited at 2.90g and connected to a 10 MΩ load. At that excitation level, a maximum of 20.0 pW was generated when an optimal resistor of 1 MΩ is connected. A tip mass of ∼0.6 gram added to the sample with ZnO NWs increased the peak-voltage by 2.21 mV and increased the peak-power by 13.3 pW. A series of DC voltage applied to the ZnO sample suggests the equivalence of poling treatment, where the dipole alignment of the ZnO NWs are disrupted. Here, a maximum peak-power of 45 pW is reported, showing promising potential of scaling-up to harvest ambient energy for low-powered electronics.

This paper presents damage imaging and quantification by using the spectral field of Lamb waves. The spectral field is acquired through a piezoelectric transducer (PZT)-scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV) sensing. A wideband chirp signal is used for PZT excitation in order to generate wideband Lamb waves. With the SLDV, the time-space wavefield is acquired, and transformed into the spectral field representation through Fourier transform. The spectral field, which contains wideband Lamb wave responses of the structure, is further analyzed for damage detection and quantification. Using the spatial wavenumber analysis, the local wavenumber at each location are obtained, and represented as a spatial wavenumber image which can be used for damage detection and evaluation. Moreover, the dispersion curve regression method is developed to quantify the thickness change of a defect. For verification, experiments are performed on aluminum plates with blind holes of different depths. The experimental results show that the blind holes can be detected by both the spatial wavenumber imaging and dispersion curve regression. In addition, the dispersion curve regression can further quantify the depths of the blind holes.

In this paper we present an innovative concept for the excitation of guided acoustic waves (lamb waves) in carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP). The idea is to add this external signal generation to a passive structural health monitoring system (SHM), using the now active system for nondestructive testing (NDT). The whole system consists of piezoelectric sensors, embedded in the polymer matrix of the monitored component, the external laser in combination with a scanning device for spatial resolved generation of acoustic waves and a signal processing unit for data analysis. Using laser excitation for lamb wave generation helps to overcome several dis-advantages compared to the use of piezoelectric transducers only: The flexibility in repositioning of the excitation area allows for easy compensation of the strong signal attenuation of CFRP with a minimum number of piezoelectric transducers. The variation of laser wavelength in the range of 1024 to 3500 nm in combination with variation in intensity allows for a selective coupling of the acoustic waves either into the matrix or in the C fibers. Using piezoelectric transducers for detection only, omits the need for a large number of high-voltage amplifiers for signal generation. In this contribution we present first results of a systematic investigation of the effective generation of lamb waves in CFRP. In addition to the variation of the wavelength of the laser, the intensity was varied too. A potentially damaging influence of the laser radiation on the CFRP material was investigated.

Piezoelectric transducers have been used for semi-active vibration reduction in structures by altering the stiffness state and dissipating electrical energy. Common approaches include state switching, synchronized switch damping on a resistor (SSDS), and synchronized switch damping on an inductor (SSDI). Each of these methods requires four switches per vibration cycle, so any delay in the switch from the ideal moment could have a significant effect on the vibration reduction. An experimental investigation into the effect of switch delays on these techniques reveals that the abrupt change in piezoelectric voltage from the switch has the effect of a step input on the structure, which may excite higher order modes and increase the peak strain. This non-ideal switching of boundary conditions has implications towards the design and performance of these state switching techniques. Switching at the peak is classically considered the ideal switch time, but the influence of the switch on the local strain may actually result in a higher peak strain for the structure than with a delayed switch. This paper will examine switch times that lead and lag the ideal case for state switching, SSDS, and SSDI to quantify the level of vibration reduction achieved under non-ideal peak sensing.