Multidisciplinary laboratory experiment for active vibration control with piezoelectric patches

This paper presents an experiment for active vibration control of a flexible beam structure in a laboratory setting. The purpose of the experiment is to give the students opportunity to understand the concept of active vibration control while working on complex dynamic problems including analytical modeling, data based modeling, model reduction, model validation, and closed-loop control. The piezoelectric patch actuators bonded to the beam surface give the students opportunity to design different control algorithms and test their efficiency. Some results concerning experimental modeling, model reduction and controller design are presented in the paper. The complexity of the system, unifying different engineering areas, requires multidisciplinary knowledge from the students to develop active vibration control concepts. Some lessons learned during developing and workings with this experimental setup are presented in the paper as well.