Integral equation based modeling of the interaction between piezoelectric patch actuators and an elastic substrate

An integral equation based model for a system of piezoelectric flexible patch actuators bonded to an elastic substrate (layer or half-space) is developed. The rigorous solution to the patch-substrate dynamic contact problem extends the range of the model's utility far beyond the bounds of conventional models that rely on simplified plate, beam or shell equations for the waveguide part. The proposed approach provides the possibility to reveal the effects of resonance energy radiation associated with higher modes that would be inaccessible using models accounting for the fundamental modes only. Algorithms that correctly account for the mutual wave interaction among the actuators via the host medium, for selective mode excitation in a layer as well as for body waves directed to required zones in a half-space, have also been derived and implemented in computer code.