MIMO-FEA for Design and Active Vibration Suppression of an Adaptive Circular Composite Plate

Abstract

Adaptive structures combine sensors, actuators, and control systems for intelligent responses to their environment and promise a novel approach to satisfying the stringent performance requirements of future aerospace and space applications. This study focuses on a multi-input-multi-output finite element analysis for the design and active vibration suppression of an adaptive circular composite plate used here as the top device-plate for an intelligent composite platform that is designed for thrust vector control of a satellite thruster. The adaptive circular composite plate has three pairs of back-to-back embedded piezoelectric active fiber composite actuator patches. A finite element harmonic analysis is employed to develop a vibration suppression scheme, which is then used to study the vibration suppression of the circular composite plate using the piezoelectric patches embedded in the plate. In this approach, the responses of the structure to an arbitrary external force as well as an arbitrary internal piezoelectric control voltage are first determined, individually. Using the linearity of the system, the responses are then assembled in a system of equation as a coupled system and then solved simultaneously to determine the control voltages and their respective phases for the system actuators for a given external disturbance. This approach is an effective technique for the design of smart structures with complex geometry and multi-input-multi-output sensor and actuator systems to study their active vibration suppression capabilities and effectiveness. The design and active vibration suppression of the adaptive circular composite plate are explained and discussed.