Robust design of multimodal shunt circuits for vibration attenuation of composite structures

Abstract

Composite materials are widely used in the development of many engineering products, especially in aerospace and automotive structures. It is due to their high strength/weight ratio and the possibility of obtaining the performance requirements of components. However, the increasing high-speed and lightweight composite structures subjected to vibrations, the interest in achieving vibration attenuation becomes of capital importance as extensive vibrations can reduce structural life and contribute to mechanical failure. Thus, the use of shunted piezoceramics has received major attention, as it is well adapted for space and automotive applications. The contribution intended here is the proposition of a robust optimisation strategy of multimode shunt circuits to increase their efficiency and robustness when uncertainties are presented. The maximum entropy principle is used to model the uncertainties and vulnerabilities are formulated to be optimised with the cost functions. Numerical applications are presented and the features and capabilities of the methodology are highlighted.