Finite Element Analysis of Composite Box Structure Containing Piezoelectric Actuators and Sensors for Active Vibration Control

The dynamic behavior of laminated composite box structure containing piezoelectric actuators and sensors for active vibration control is studied by finite element method. The smart laminated composite box structure is considered as assemblages of four walls made up of orthotropic plate modeled as cantilevered and also both ends clamped configuration with surface bonded piezoelectric (PZT) patches. The study uses commercial finite element package program ANSYS 8.1, in which SOLID46 elements are used for the metal part and SOLID5 elements are used for the piezoelectric part of the structure.

The feedback control system used in the present study for the active vibration control is same as Karagulle et al. (2004). The influence of the size, number and placements of piezoelectric actuators on vibration control is discussed in detail. The present solution is found to be in good agreement with FEM and as well as ANSYS values from previous work. The result of this study can be used to aid in choosing the size, number and placement of piezoelectric sensor/actuator pairs of smart laminated composite box structure for vibration suppression