Active control of plates using integrated piezoceramic elements of various shape: Modeling and experiments

Successful active vibration control using piezoceramic (PZT) elements is usually based on a full understanding of the system. When a large number of sensors and actuators are used, mechanical coupling between the piezo-elements and the host structures may be strong. The control of such systems requires simulation models capable of taking the full coupling into account. This paper presents such a model on the basis of a rectangular plate with symmetrically integrated piezo-elements. Experimental validations have been systematically performed and showed that the established model is applicable to plates exhibiting relatively complex modal behavior. Using this model, actuators of different shapes (rectangular, circular, oval, etc.) and optimal control of the plate structure using PZT actuators and sensors are investigated. This work allows one to have a better understanding of active control of vibration with PZT and provides information about the importance of shape, size and number of sensors and actuators for active control applications.