An Exercise in Elementary Smart Structures

Abstract

Research into smart structures is now extensive and, increasingly, is finding practical application in many aerospace, mechanical-, civil-, and bio-engineering domains. Thus, to maintain pace with well-established developments, it is inevitable that analysis of smart structures finds a place in engineering degree courses. The examples studied here provide an introduction and are elementary beams with perfectly bonded layers of piezoelectric material. Simple analytical models describe the induced stress and deformation in each beam according to compact dimensionless groups. A finite element analysis is also carried out to confirm results and the sensitivity of behaviour due to the mesh density is addressed.