Vibration control of a cantilever beam using distributed PVDF actuator

Active continua with integrated sensor and actuator have proved effective in damping the vibrations of any dynamic system. This work deals with experimentally implementing control algorithms, namely negative velocity and Lyapunov control to actively damp the vibrations of a cantilever beam. A Finite element scheme is used to predict the dynamic response of the beam to transient electrical signals and to compare them with the experimentally obtained results. A distributed PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride) actuator is used for actuation and an accelerometer is used as a tip velocity sensor.