Actuation Performance of Active Composite Beams with Delamination

The actuation behaviors of active beams with partial delamination are investigated. An analytical model that considers the axial-contraction effect induced by bending deformation is established at first, and moreover, the necessity of the effect is illustrated. Then aiming at the fact that the actuating curvature of the beam with delamination is no longer constant, which is usually used to evaluate the actuating capability of the active beam, a substituted method is proposed. In the method, the evaluation can be performed by a single parameter—the slope of deformed beam at the junction of delamination region in local coordinate system. The loss of the actuating capability corresponding to various configurations such as different thickness, elastic modular of the substrate and the length of the delamination are evaluated. Then the actuating capability of an active cantilever with partially debonded actuator is investigated. The impacts of the percentage and location of the delamination are studied. The obtained results are validated by experiments on active composite beams with various delamination configuration, which actuated by macro fiber composite (MFC).