An investigation into the performance of macro-fiber composites for sensing and structural vibration applications

This paper presents the use of macro-fiber composites (MFC) for vibration suppression and structural health monitoring. The major advantages of the piezoelectric fiber composite actuators are their high performance, flexibility, and durability when compared with the traditional piezoceramic (PZT) actuators. The recently developed MFC actuator provides these advantages and can be used in structural vibration applications. In addition, the ability of MFC devices to couple the electrical and mechanical fields is larger than in monolithic PZT. In this study, we showed that an MFC could be used as a sensor and actuator to find modal parameters of an inflatable structure. This sensor and actuator combination has also been used to reduce vibration in an inflated object. Once the sensing capability was identified, we developed a self-sensing circuit for an MFC. Our experimental results clearly indicate that this strategy can suppress structural vibration, while reducing the number of system components. Finally, the MFC has been implemented as impedance sensor for structural health monitoring (e.g. a of bolted joint connection). The experimental results presented in this paper show the potential of MFC for use in the dynamics and control of flexible structures. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.