Implementation of adaptive structures with enhanced self-sensing piezoelectric actuators

In this paper, an enhanced self-sensing active constrained layer damping treatment incorporating adaptive mechanisms is developed. With two stiff edge elements onto the boundaries of the piezoelectric cover sheet, the actuating authority and sensing capability can be increased due to the enhancement of the direct and converse transmissibilities between the piezoelectric element and the host structure. This two-way bypass effect via the edge elements can significantly improve the piezoelectric sensing/actuating abilities, and the overall performance. Moreover, in a piezo-based self-sensing actuation (SSA) configuration, the control signal is usually mixed with the signal due to mechanical response. A self-tuning adaptive compensation is used to combine with the SSA technique to develop a controller that is capable of extracting the true sensing signal due to structural deformation. Concurrently, a control input is generated based on the compensated sensing voltage to actively suppress structural vibration. A beam structure bonded with an enhanced self-sensing piezoelectric actuator is implemented to demonstrate the effectiveness of this adaptive structure for the purpose of vibration control.