Numerical optimization of piezolaminated beams under static and dynamic excitations

Shape and vibration controls of smart structures in structural applications have gained much attraction due to their ability of actuation and sensing. The response of structure to bending, vibration, and buckling can be controlled by the use of this ability of a piezoelectric material. In the present work, the static and dynamic control of smart piezolaminated beams is presented. The optimal locations of piezoelectric patches are found out and then a detailed analysis is performed using finite element modeling considering the higher order shear deformation theory. In the first part, for an extension mode, the piezolaminated beam with stacking sequence PZT5/Al/PZT5 is considered. The length of the beam is 100 mm, whereas the thickness of an aluminum core is 16 mm and that of the piezo layer is of 1 mm. The PZT actuators are positioned with an identical poling direction along the thickness and are excited by a direct current voltage of 10 V. For the shear mode, the stacking sequence Al/PZT5/Al is adopted. The length of the beam is kept the same as the extension mechanism i.e. 100 mm, whereas the thickness of the aluminum core is 8 mm and that of the piezo layer is of 2 mm. The actuator is excited by a direct current voltage of 20 V. In the second part, the control of the piezolaminated beam with an optimal location of the actuator is investigated under a dynamic excitation. Electromechanical loading is considered in the finite element formulation for the analysis purpose. Results are provided for beams with different boundary conditions and loading for future references. Both the extension and shear actuation mechanisms are employed for the piezolaminated beam. These results may be used to identify the response of a beam under static and dynamic excitations. From the present work, the optimal location of a piezoelectric patch can be easily identified for the corresponding boundary condition of the beam.