Finite element modelling and vibration control study of active plate with debonded piezoelectric actuators

A finite element model for a piezoelectric plate with edge debonded actuators is presented. This model is employed to investigate the effect of edge debonding on actuation authority, natural frequencies and vibration control performance. The regions of the plate with the piezoelectric patches are modelled such that each layer undergoes rotation due to shear deformation independently. The necessary constraints for continuity of displacements at the interfaces of the layers are imposed. The plate with edge debonded actuators is idealized by dividing it into debonded regions and healthy regions. A finite element procedure for imposing the constraints regarding continuity of displacements at the interfaces of the adjacent regions is developed and is implemented using MATLAB. Experiments are conducted for finding the actuation authority and natural frequencies of the plate with debonded actuators. It has been found that the developed model has predicted the mechanics of actuator debonding properly. The investigations have revealed the fact that the edge debonding of actuators will result in considerable degradation in actuation authority and vibration control performance.