Vibration measurement of a cantilever beam using root embedded piezoceramic sensor

Numerical and experimental studies are carried out to investigate the usability of a piezoceramic (PZT) sensor placed in the root of a stationary cantilever beam for measuring structural vibrations. The ability of the sensor for picking up the vibration signals during both the transient and steady-state phases is investigated. The piezoelectric equations obtained using the Hamilton's principle together with the finite-element approximation are utilized to extract the voltage outputs of the PZT sensor. An experimental set-up, to validate the theoretical results, is designed and manufactured. The experimentally measured sensor voltages are compared with the numerical ones. The results showed the excellent performance of the sensors in reading vibration signals of the beam. The root embedded PZT approach is an important step towards the application of measuring rotating blade vibrations.