Deflection and Vibration Control of Laminated Plates Using Extension and Shear Actuated Fiber Composites

Abstract

The use of surface bonded and embedded piezoelectric composite actuators is examined through a numerical study. Modelling schemes are therefore developed by applying the isoparametric finite element approach to idealise extension-bending and shear-bending couplings due to piezoelectric actuations. A modal control based linear quadratic regulator is employed to perform the active vibration control studies. Influence of shear actuation direction and its width has been examined and interesting deflection patterns are noticed. The through width SAFC develops a constant deflection beyond its length along the laminated plate length. In contrast, segmented SAFC produces a moderate to linearly varying deflection pattern. MFC actuators have shown promising features in vibration control performances. Nevertheless, closed loop damping presents the efficiency of SAFC in the vibration control application. It is therefore envisaged that optimally actuated smart laminates can be designed using MFC and SAFC to efficiently counteract the disturbance forces.