Abstract
Piezoelectric materials are the most widely used functional materials for sensor and actuator applications in smart structural systems. Piezoelectric fibers developed a few years ago have been used for vibration suppression and noise reduction of smart structures. However piezoelectric fibers without a core must use inter-digital electrodes so that it is difficult to use a single fiber. This paper introduces the development of piezoelectric fibers with a metal core, which can be used as an electrode. When the other electrode is coated on the outer surface of the fiber by sputtering or using conductive paste, a single fiber can be used as a sensor or an actuator. The fabricated fibers were bonded on the surface of a composite beam and the sensor functions of the fibers was confirmed by measuring the output of the fibers during the vibration of the beam and the actuator function was confirmed by applying an external voltage to the fibers to excite the vibration of the beam.
