Active damping of piezo-composite beams

The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of piezoceramic materials on the active damping of vibrating piezo-composite beams. The active damping is obtained by using an actuator and a sensor piezoceramic layer acting in ‘closed-loop’. By transferring the accumulated voltage on the sensor layer to the piezoelectric actuator layer, the beam can actively damp-out its vibrations. An exact mathematical model, based on a first order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is developed and described. This model allows the investigation of piezo-composite beams with two actuation/sensing type mechanisms, extension and shear. The present study is confined to symmetric lay-up beams using continuous piezoelectric layers. Using the present model, both natural and damped vibrations are calculated. The effects of the feedback gain, G, and the beam length on the damped vibrations are investigated and presented.