Static and free vibration analyses and dynamic control of smart variable stiffness laminated composite plate with delamination

The present work is mainly focused on the static and dynamic analysis of curvilinear fiber laminated composite plate integrated with piezoelectric layers acting as actuators and sensors. Delamination is an inevitable phenomenon in composite structures encountered often in real life operating conditions. The presence of delamination within the structure may significantly affect the dynamic response due to the reduction of stiffness of the structure. An eight-noded isoparametric element using first-order shear deformation theory based finite element formulation is adopted for discretizing the domain. The accuracy and adaptability of the present FE model are established through various validation studies. Further, various parametric studies are conducted to investigate the effect of different delamination sizes and positions on the static and dynamic behavior of smart composite plates with curved as well as straight fiber laminates for various boundary conditions. It is observed that the curved fiber laminates provide the flexibility to adjust the fiber orientation within the lamina in such a fashion that frequency reduction due to delamination can be reduced. An attempt is made to effectively damp out the vibration of a smart delaminated plate with the use of active feedback control.