Interaction of active and passive vibration control of laminated composite beams with piezoceramic sensors/actuators

The interaction between active and passive vibration control characteristics was investigated numerically and verified experimentally for carbon/epoxy laminated composite beams with a collocated piezoceramic sensor and actuator. The finite element method was used for the analysis of dynamic characteristics of the laminated composite beams. Damping and stiffness of adhesive and piezoceramic layers were taken into account in the finite element modeling. The optimal control theory was applied for the analysis of control characteristics of the beam. Experiments on the active vibration control of the laminated composite beams were carried out using velocity feedback control. The effect of varying the stacking sequence of the laminated composite beam on the active and passive damping properties was studied. The finite element analysis was verified by comparing the experimental results in terms of active and passive damping ratios (ζ) and modal dampings (2ζω) as well as fundamental frequency. When the gain in velocity feedback control is small, the active control follows the trend of the passive control, but provides additional effects due to the active control. For a large feedback gain, the active control is dominant over the passive control. Active control is more effective in the structure with higher bending stiffness than in the structure with lower bending stiffness when the feedback gain is large.