Distributed Modal Identification and Vibration Control of Continua: Piezoelectric Finite Element Formulation and Analysis

"Smart" continua with integrated sensor/actuator for structural identification and control have drawn much attention in recent years due to the rapid development of high-performance "smart" structures. The continua are distributed and flexible in nature. Thus, distributed dynamic measurement and active vibration control are of importance to their high-demanding performance. In this paper, continua (shell or plate) integrated with distributed piezoelectric sensors and actuators are studied using a finite element technique. A new piezoelectric finite element with internal degrees of freedom is derived. Two control algorithms, namely, constant gain feedback control and constant amplitude feedback control, are implemented. Structural identification and control of a plate model with distributed piezoelectric sensor/actuator is studied. Distributed modal voltage and control effectiveness of mono- and bi-axially polarized piezoelectric actuators are evaluted.