Research on applications of piezoelectric materials in smart structures

Abstract

Piezoelectric materials have become the most attractive functional materials for sensors and actuators in smart structures because they can directly convert mechanical energy to electrical energy and vise versa. They have excellent electromechanical coupling characteristics and excellent frequency response. In this article, some research activities on the applications of piezoelectric materials in smart structures, including semi-active vibration control based on synchronized switch damping using negative capacitance, energy harvesting using new electronic interfaces, structural health monitoring based on a new type of piezoelectric fibers with metal core, and active hysteresis control based on new modified Prandtl-Ishlinskii model at the Aeronautical Science Key Laboratory for Smart Materials and Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics are introduced.