MODELLING DYNAMICS OF A CONTINUOUS STRUCTURE WITH A PIEZOELECTRIC SENSORACTUATOR FOR PASSIVE STRUCTURAL CONTROL

This paper presents the concept of a vibration control system in which motions of a continuous structure with piezoelectric sensors/actuators can be suppressed (or activated) through transforming mechanical energy to electrical one and vice versa. The study is focused on distributed parameter structures, in which electromechanical variables are spatially dependent, and therefore traditional methods of design of piezoelectric transformers do not apply. In this case, a different approach is necessary to account for the spatial dependency of the variables. To examine the feasibility of the proposed vibration control system, we have performed the vibration suppression analysis of the cantilevered beam with piezoelectric sensors/actuators subjected to an exciting force/moment(s). The experimental results indicate that the damping of the composite system increases by 8-10 times in comparison with the mechanical system.As a result, the paper significantly expands the concept of passive damping mechanism for structural systems to take into account the dynamics of a continuous elastic structure piezoelectrically coupled to electrical network.