Active control of geometrically nonlinear transient vibration of composite plates with piezoelectric actuators

In this paper, the incremental finite element equations for geometric non-linear analysis of piezoelectric smart structures are developed using a total Lagrange approach by using virtual velocity incremental variational principles. A four-node first order shear plate element model with reduced and selective integration is also developed. Geometrically non-linear transient vibration response and control of plates with piezoelectric patches subjected to pulse loads are investigated. Active damping is introduced on the plates by coupling a self-sensing and negative velocity feedback algorithm in a closed control loop. The numerical results show that piezoelectric actuators can introduce significant damping and suppress transient vibration effectively. The effects of the number and locations of the piezoelectric actuators on the control system are also discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.