Piezoelectric networking with enhanced electromechanical coupling for vibration delocalization of mistuned periodic structures—Theory and experiment

In this research, an approach to vibration delocalization of nearly periodic structures using piezoelectric networks with active coupling enhancement is presented. Piezoelectric networks are synthesized to reduce mode localization by absorbing the vibratory mechanical energy into the electric circuits and distributing it through an additional strong electrical wave channel. The system electromechanical coupling effect is further increased through the use of active actions via negative capacitance circuits, which will enhance the treatmentʹs delocalization capability. The integrated system is analyzed through modal analysis and transfer matrix analysis. A localization index is defined based on the Lyapunov exponent and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed treatment. Experiments are carried out to validate the theoretical findings. The results demonstrated that, for the range of investigation, the system vibration localization level can be effectively reduced by piezoelectric networking, and the system performance can be further improved by the active coupling enhancement approach via negative capacitance circuits.