An Overview of Active Materials Utilized in Smart Structures

Abstract

This chapter provides a brief overview of working principles, physical properties, constitutive models and the practical applications of a few select active materials as the building blocks of many smart structures. More specifically, the following active materials are discussed in this chapter: piezoelectric and pyroelectric materials, electrorheological and magnetorheological fluids, electrostrictive and magnetostrictive materials, and finally shape memory alloys (SMA). In order not to disturb the focus of the book, only selective but essential materials are reviewed in this chapter. We refer interested readers to cited references and other dedicated books on smart materials and structures (e.g., Srinviasan and MacFarland 2001; Culshaw 1996; Gandhi and Thompson 1992; Banks et al. 1996; Clark et al. 1998; Suleman 2001; Leo 2007; Preumont 2002; Janocha 1999; Tzou and Anderson 1992; Gabert and Tzou 2001), vibration control (Moheimani and Fleming 2006; Gawronski 2004; Tao and Kokotovic 1996), sensors and actuators (Busch-Vishniac 1999) and piezoelectric (Yang 2005; Moheimani and Fleming 2006; Ballas 2007).