Optimal dynamic control of laminated adaptive structures using a higher order model and a genetic algorithm

This paper deals with a finite element formulation based on the third-order shear deformation theory, for active control of thin plate laminated structures with integrated piezoelectric layers acting as sensors and actuators. The finite element model is a single layer triangular plate/shell element with 24 degrees of freedom for the generalized displacements, and one electrical potential degree of freedom for each piezoelectric element layer, which can be surface bonded or embedded on the laminate. To achieve a mechanism for the active control of the structural dynamics response, a feedback control algorithm is used, coupling the sensor and active piezoelectric layers. To calculate the dynamic response of the laminated structures the Newmark method is considered. The control is initialized through an optimization of the core of the laminated structure in order to minimize the vibration amplitude. Also the optimization of the patch positions is performed to maximize the piezoelectric actuator efficiency. For these purposes the genetic algorithm is used. The model is applied in the solution of an illustrative example and the results are presented and discussed.