The Active Control of Panel Vibrations with Piezoelectric Actuators

The active control of vibration using point actuators has received much attention. Presented here is a means by which panel vibrations may be controlled through the action of a dis tributed actuator. The actuator consists of a single-sheet piezoceramic adhesively bonded to the sur face of the panel. Control is achieved by a digital control law that artificially increases the damping of the modes which dominate the panel response, the sensing being provided by a single accelerom eter mounted on the panel surface. Presented are results that demonstrate the effectiveness of the control law/piezoceramic actuator combination. In order to show that a reduction in vibration levels is also achieved at points other than at the sensing accelerometer, acceleration levels are monitored at other points on the plate. The results show that panel vibrations may indeed be successfully con trolled through the action of the distributed piezoceramic actuator.