Active vibration suppression of multilayered plates integrated with piezoelectric fiber reinforced composites using an efficient finite element model

The active vibration suppression of hybrid composite and fiber metal laminate (FML) plates integrated with piezoelectric fiber reinforced composite (PFRC) sensors and actuators is studied for the first time, using an efficient and advanced layerwise plate theory. Unlike the conventional finite elements, the equipotential condition of electroded surfaces of sensors is satisfied exactly and conveniently using a novel concept of electric node. The effective electromechanical properties of the PFRC laminas are computed using a coupled three-dimensional iso-field micromechanical model. Numerical results are presented for both classical constant gain velocity feedback (CGVF) and optimal control strategies. The instability phenomena in CGVF control with conventionally collocated actuator-sensor pairs, and its remedy with a truly collocated arrangement are illustrated. The effect of segmentation of electrodes on the control response is studied. The segmentation of electrodes leads to a multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) configuration. The effects of piezoelectric fiber orientation, volume fraction and dielectric ratio of PFRC on the control response and the actuation/sensing authority are investigated for cantilever and simply supported plates. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.