Electro-elastic response of cylindrical sandwich pressure vessels with porous core and piezoelectric face-sheets

Abstract

This work applies the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) to study of the electro-elastic behavior of cylindrical sandwich pressure vessels with porous core and piezoelectric face-sheets, immersed in a Pasternak foundation. The core material is made of aluminum, whose effective properties are strictly related to different distributions of porosity. The governing equations of the problem are derived from the principle of virtual work and they are solved as a classical eigen-problem under the assumption of clamped-supported boundary conditions. A large parametric investigation aims at showing the influence of some meaningful parameters on the electro-elastic response of the structure, such as the type of distribution and the coefficient of porosity, as well as the Pasternak foundation coefficients. Based on the numerical results, we verify a general increase in deformability for increasing coefficients of porosity, and foundation coefficients. Our outcomes represent a key point for the design purposes, where the optimal performances of the structure are mainly related to a correct selection of the input structural parameters and surrounding environment. For engineering applications as electrical actuators, rollers, or control devices, an interesting control in deflection of the structure is here pursued by tuning the applied electrical potential.