Control of flexural vibration in stiffened structures using multiple piezoceramic actuators

Abstract

In three separate works, the active control of vibration transmission in stiffened beams, plates and cylinders, using as control sources piezoceramic stack actuators placed between the flange of a stiffener and the structure surface, have been examined theoretically and experimentally. For each structure, a theoretical model has been developed to describe the response of the structure to harmonic point force primary vibration excitation and active control using the piezoceramic actuators. In this paper, results from the examination of the three different structures are compared and contrasted. The number of control sources and error sensors required for optimal vibration reduction is calculated for the plate and cylinder cases. The effectiveness of introducing a second set of control sources or error sensors downstream from the first is also investigated, with the conclusion that a second set of control sources may be useful in some cases, and a second set of error sensors is advantageous for signals with multiple frequency components.