Dynamic response of piezolaminated smart cylindrical shells with weak interfacial bonding using Three-dimensional piezoelasticity

In smart piezoelectric laminated structures, the interfaces between the piezoelectric layers and the host laminate are prone to weak bonding due to the high transverse shear stresses that are induced under electrothermomechanical loading. The weak interfaces may severely affect the actuation and sensing performance and consequently the integrity of the smart structure. In this work, an analytical solution is presented based on the three dimensional piezoelasticity for dynamic response of angle-ply piezolaminated cylindrical shells in cylindrical bending with interlaminar bonding imperfections. The piezoelectric layers are radially polarized and hence useful for structural applications. The discontinuities in displacement, electric and thermal fields at the imperfect interfaces are modelled using a generalized spring layer model. The formulation includes the provision for prescribing potentials at interfaces, which is useful for effective actuation/ sensing. The effect of imperfection on the through-thickness distributions of displacements and stresses, natural frequencies and steady state harmonic response are studied for hybrid composite and sandwich shells. The numerical results will also serve as useful benchmark in assessing simplified theories incorporating interface imperfections