Numerical and experimental study on integration of control actions into the finite element solutions in smart structures

Piezoelectric smart structures can be modeled using commercial finite element packages. Integration of control actions into the finite element model solutions (ICFES) can be done in ANSYS by using parametric design language. Simulation results can be obtained easily in smart structures by this method. In this work, cantilever smart structures consisting of aluminum beams and lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) patches are considered. Two cases are studied numerically and experimentally in parallel. In the first case, a smart structure with a single PZT patch is used for the free vibration control under an initial tip displacement. In the second case, a smart structure with two PZT patches is used for the forced vibration control under harmonic excitation, where one of the PZT patches is used as vibration generating shaker while the other is used as vibration controlling actuator. For the two cases, modal analyses are done using chirp signals; Control OFF and Control ON responses in the time domain are obtained for various controller gains. A non-contact laser displacement sensor and strain gauges are utilized for the feedback signals. It is observed that all the simulation results agree with the experimental results.