Active Vibration Suppression of Sandwich Beams using Piezoelectric Shear Actuators: Experiments and Numerical Simulations

Abstract

This article deals with the experimental and numerical assessment of the vibration suppression of smart structures using piezoelectric shear actuators. Experimental results are presented for an adaptive sandwich cantilever beam that consists of aluminum facings and a core composed of two piezoelectric shear actuators and foam. The electric field is applied perpendicular to the poling direction of the piezoelectric actuators to cause transverse shear deformation of the sandwich beam. Active vibration suppression is achieved using either positive position feedback or strain rate feedback. The control system is implemented in real-time using Matlab/Simulink and a dSPACE digital controller. First, the frequency response of the adaptive beam is investigated by using one shear actuator to excite the beam and the other to control its vibration. Parametric studies are conducted to assess the influence of controller parameters on the frequency response of the system. The experimental frequency response function compares well with numerical simulations using the finite element method. Next, the effectiveness of the active vibration suppression system in the time domain is analyzed using a proof-mass actuator that is attached to the tip of the cantilever beam to provide a repeatable vibration input. Experiments and numerical simulations show that the shear actuators can provide significant reduction in tip acceleration and settling time.

Effect of Embedded Strain Gage on the Mechanical Behavior of Composite Structures

“…The analytical solution is obtained from the higher order deformation theory. Baillargeon et Vel [13] used the electromechanical shear coupling effect of PZT materials which have been integrated in a sandwich cantilever beam to suppress vibration. The sandwich beam is made from aluminum matrix and a core composed of two piezoelectric shear actuators and foam.…”

Consideration of Spillover Effect in Active Vibration Suppression of a Smart Composite Plate Using Piezoelectric Elements

“…A survey on various control algorithms employed for vibration control of smart structures is presented in (Fei et al 2010). Classical constant gain velocity feedback control (Farhadi & Hosseini-Hashemi 2011;He et al 2004) and positive position feedback (PPF) (Baillargeon & Vel 2004) is widely employed for actively vibration control of piezoelectric smart beams and plates.…”

Modeling and experiments of a laminated magnetostrictive cantilever beam

“…The total energy (E TOT ) of the system corresponding to various orientations of the magnetic moments with direction cosines (a 1 , a 2 , a 3 ) is as shown in equation (4). The direction cosines can be expressed in terms of the azimuthal angle (u) and the polar angle (u) with the conversions of a 1 = sin u cos u, a 2 sin u sin u and a 3 = cos u…”

“…[1][2][3] The laminated bender structures utilizing Galfenol drivers provide a potential alternative to the brittle materials such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and Terfenol-D. 4,5 Galfenol has involved a wide range of applications in active structures such as actuators and sensors. Ueno and colleagues [6][7][8][9] focused on the study of microactuators based on Galfenol.…”