Electromechanical-coupling modeling and experimental validation of piezoelectric active vibration isolation for truss structures

Abstract

Truss structures provide support and connection as essential components of spacecrafts. However, they are constantly disturbed and vibrated, which affects the pointing accuracy and operating stability. An active vibration isolation method for truss structures with embedded piezoelectric actuators (EPAs) is proposed in this study to address the challenges of excessive weight, large size, and limited effectiveness in vibration control equipment. Firstly, the EPA with a sandwich structure is designed and strategically embedded in the truss structure. Secondly, a novel modeling method is developed using the transfer matrix method (TMM) to effectively characterize complex beam structures including truss structures. Finally, a prototype is developed and the measurement system is constructed. The accuracy of the modeling is confirmed by vibration response experiments, with measurement results indicating that the discrepancies between theoretical predictions and experimental data remain within 5 %. Further validation of the EPAs for active vibration isolation is achieved through dedicated experiments, revealing a maximum isolation effect of −27.87 dB for longitudinal vibrations and –22.08 dB for bending vibrations. The experimental findings substantiate the promising application of proposed EPAs in enhancing active vibration isolation for truss structures, offering significant potential for improving the precision pointing and operational stability of space structures and spacecraft.