Structural integrity issues during piezoelectric vibration suppression of composite structures

Abstract

Abstract Piezoelectric materials are one of a group of materials used to construct smart or adaptive structures. The control of structural vibrations is a promising real-world application of this technology for aerospace structures. The modeling and application of piezoelectric vibration suppression technology is reviewed—concentrating on the notable work of the past decade. Several real-world aerospace applications are also discussed demonstrating the near-term promise of this technology. Next the structural issues are reviewed establishing that a very limited knowledge of fatigue and fracture behavior for the adaptive composite structures exist. Therefore, increased attention to structural integrity of the vibration suppression systems is required before their real-world application can commence.