Owing to their shape morphing capabilities and biomimetic nature, tensegrity structures offer a lightweight, adaptable, alternative to classical truss structures. Tensegrities comprise a collection of axially loaded compressive members (bars or struts) stabilized by a network of tension members (strings or cables), resulting in flexible structures which can be pre-stressed and actively controlled to change their shape. In this research, we study the morphing capabilities of the cylindrical triplex tensegrity by actively changing the length of the structure’s internal cable network. A geometric approach is used to characterize the full range of statically equilibrated shapes of a cylindrical triplex tensegrity structure. Then, trajectories are designed from a subset of equilibrated shapes and implemented in open-loop on an experimental triplex structure.
Smart structures systems have evolved tremendously in the last 40 years, enabled by advances in constituent and integrative science and technology. Every significant advance was made by a talented individual who benefitted from collaborations with others offering complementary perspectives. Such interdisciplinary explorations illuminated potential disruptive functionality and exposed issues related to the realization of complicated systems. All aimed at a goal of societal impact: applications and technologies that improve people’s lives while creating businesses and jobs. Some advances have spurred novel products or capabilities, while others languish for a variety of reasons. Examples will illustrate the moves and missteps of this potent smart structures dance.
Synthetic jet actuators are of interest for potential applications to active flow control and thermal management. Resonant
piezoelectric-diaphragm-type configurations are commonly considered. Modeling of such actuators remains a challenge
due to complexities associated with both electro-elastic and fluid-structure coupling, as well as potential non-linearities
in both. A key metric for synthetic jet performance is the time-averaged jet momentum. Linear lumped-element
modeling is an approach that has demonstrated the ability to predict jet momentum in terms of input frequency and
voltage; however, it neglects nonlinearity and increasing losses at high amplitude. Full electro-elastic-fluidic finite
element modeling makes the most accurate prediction but is computationally expensive for design and optimization
purposes. The assumed-modes method provides an energy-based low-order model which captures electro-elastic and
acoustic-structure couplings with adequate accuracy. Tri-laminar circular plates under clamped boundary conditions
were modeled using the assumed-modes method. Maximization of jet momentum is considered via the maximization of
surrogate device metrics: free volume displacement, effective blocking pressure, strain energy, and device coupling
coefficient. The driving frequency of the actuator is treated as a constraint in the optimization which nominally matches
the fundamental acoustic natural frequency of the cylindrical cavity. Device configurations were obtained for various
polycrystalline and single crystal piezoelectric materials, driven at 10% of their coercive fields in the model. The optimal
configurations approximate a simply-supported circular plate with complete piezo coverage. The relative merits of
individual materials were also discerned from the optimization results. The low mechanical loss factor of PZT8 enables
high output at resonance, while high loss factor and low stiffness limit the utility of PVDF in this application. Due to a
combination of lower loss factor and higher coupling, single crystal materials modestly outperform PZT5A.
Contact-Aided Compliant Cellular Mechanisms (C3M) are compliant cellular structures with integrated contact
mechanisms. The focus of the paper is on the design, fabrication, and testing of C3M with curved walls for high strain
applications. It is shown that global strains were increased by replacing straight walls with curved walls in the traditional
honeycomb structure, while the addition of contact mechanisms increased cell performance via stress relief in some
cases. Furthermore, curved walls are beneficial for fabrication at the meso-scale. The basic curved honeycomb cell
geometry is defined by a set of variables. These variables were optimized using Matlab and finite element analysis to
find the best non-contact and contact-aided curved cell geometries as well as the cell geometry that provides the greatest
stress relief. Currently, the most effective contact-aided curved honeycomb cell can withstand global strains
approximately 160% greater than the most effective contact-aided, non-curved cell. Four different designs were
fabricated via the Lost Mold-Rapid Infiltration Forming (LM-RIF) process. An array of the contact-aided optimized
curved cell was then mechanically tested using a custom designed test rig, and the results were found to have a higher
modulus of elasticity and lower global strain than the predictions. Despite these discrepancies, a high-strength highstrain
cellular structure was developed, for potential use in morphing aircraft applications.
The performance of piezoelectric-based damping and vibration control techniques has been studied and analyzed
extensively under impulse response or harmonic steady state conditions. Considered here is their performance
when subjected to an excitation whose frequency is close to a structure's resonance frequency but varies sufficiently
quickly to preclude a harmonic analysis. Although a rapidly-varying excitation frequency will reduce
the peak response amplitude, additional vibration reduction is often desired. The current research investigates
the performance of several common passive and semi-active (state switching) vibration reduction techniques. In
many cases, particularly for high electromechanical coupling, a system provides sufficient vibration reduction to
approximate a steady state condition. Special attention is paid to turbomachinery bladed disks and the feasibility
of implementing a particular vibration reduction approach. Semi-active switching approaches are more robust for
vibration reduction of multiple frequencies than passive systems which require optimal tuning to the excitation
condition. State switching, synchronized switched damping, and resonance frequency detuning provide the most
realistic embedded package. Of these three approaches, synchronized switched damping delivers the greatest
performance, although all provide significant vibration reduction. With far fewer and less stringent switching
requirements, resonance frequency detuning requires significantly less power than other semi-active approaches.
Sandwich structures consisting of contact-aided compliant mechanisms are presented for morphing aircraft skin.
A contact mechanism is used to alleviate stresses and to decrease the out-of-plane deflection. A methodology to
design such mechanisms, which takes into account the aerodynamic loads, is presented. The method is applied
to a small UAV and results are compared with those of honeycomb structures in terms of structural mass, global
strain and maximum stresses. Different material models such as linearly elastic and multi-linear elastic are
considered. For linearly elastic materials, contact-induced stress-relief is advantageous and for nonlinear elastic
materials, reduction of transverse deflection due to contact is useful. In either case, the structural mass of the
contact-aided structures is less than that of the corresponding non-contact structures.
Morphing aircraft wings offer great potential benefits of achieving multi mission capability as well as high
maneuverability under different flight conditions. However, they present many design challenges in the form of
conflicting design requirements. The current research aims to develop design methodologies for the design of a
morphing aircraft wing. Focus of this work is on developing an internal mechanism of the wing that can produce the
desired wing shape change.
This paper presents a design methodology that employs planar unit cells of pre-determined shape and layout as the
internal wing structure for achieving the desired wing shape change. This method is particularly useful in cases where
the desired morphing is two-dimensional in nature. In such cases, intuitive cell designs such as diamond or hexagonal
shaped cells may be used in layouts that achieve desired wing morphing. The shape change depends on the cell shape as
well as cell arrangement in the design domain.
In this paper, a design based on the TSCh wing (NextGen Aeronautics Inc.) using cellular mechanisms to achieve a two-dimensional
wing shape change is discussed. Additionally, a reeling mechanism for achieving cable actuation is presented
Achieving multi-mission capability with a single aircraft through in-flight morphing of the wing is highly beneficial due
to its efficiency under different flight conditions such as cruise and dash. In addition higher maneuverability is possible
from using such a vehicle. As opposed to traditional wing morphing where discrete surfaces such as hinged flaps and
ailerons are used, the current research focus is directed towards achieving continuous morphing in order to reduce drag
from geometric discontinuities.
The present research aims to achieve continuous wing morphing by employing a wing structure comprised of an
optimized internal layout of cables and struts. Cables are used as actuators while struts provide rigidity to the wing. In
addition to achieving continuous morphing by changing cable length, this structure has the advantage of being light in
weight. Also, distributed actuation may be achieved from this scheme.
Topology optimization is utilized to optimally place cables and struts in a "bay" or a section of the wing. The
optimization is achieved by using Genetic Algorithm. A Generic Algorithm, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic
Algorithm II (NSGA II) has been used in this work. The current paper gives an overview of the algorithm and discusses
obtained results.
The idea of a morphing aircraft wing has generated considerable interest in recent years. Such a structure has inherent advantages of possessing high maneuverability and efficiency under different flight conditions such as take off, cruise and loiter. The current focus is on achieving continuous wing shape change, as opposed to discrete, in order to help reduce drag. This research aims to achieve continuous wing morphing by employing a wing structure comprising of an optimized internal layout of cables and struts. Cables are employed as actuators while struts provide rigidity to the wing. In addition to achieving continuous morphing by changing cable length, this structure has the advantage of being light in weight.
The focus of this paper is on obtaining an optimized cable and strut layout in the body of the wing. Non-linear Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been performed to account for the large deflection requirements. An objective function that considers deflection under actuation and air loads has been incorporated. Results comparing linear and non-linear FEA are presented for a particular wing design. The nonlinear finite element is found to be effective when using large actuation forces.
This paper develops an averaging analysis for qualitative and quantitative study of switched piezostructural systems. The study of piezostructural systems including passive and active shunt circuits has been carried out for some time. Far less is known regarding analytical methods for the study of switched piezostructural systems. The technique developed in this paper is motivated by the success of averaging methods for the analysis of switched power supplies. In this paper it is shown that averaging analysis provides a means of determining time domain as well as frequency domain response characteristics of switched piezostructural systems that include switched capacitive shunt circuits. The time domain and frequency domain performance of a tunable piezoceramic vibration absorber is derived via averaging in this paper. The proposed switching architecture provides an essentially continuous range of tunable notch frequencies, in contrast to a finite and fixed collection of discrete notch frequencies available in some implementations of capacitively shunted piezostructures. The technique for analysis appears promising for the study of vibration damping and energy harvesting piezostructures whose underlying operating principle is similar.
Particle impact dampers (PIDs) are enclosures partially filled with particles of various sizes and materials. When attached to a vibrating structure, they dissipate energy through inelastic collisions between the particle bed and the enclosure wall, as well as between particles. In this work, the development of a design curve that can be used to predict the damping characteristics of particle impact dampers is presented. A power measurement technique enabled the time-efficient measurement of the damping properties of the PID. This technique enjoys several advantages over traditional loss factor measurements, including the flexibility to analyze the behavior of the PID at any frequency or excitation amplitude, and the ability to estimate the damping contribution for any structure operating such that the PID experiences similar conditions. Using this power measurement technique, a large number of experiments were conducted to determine the effects of vibration amplitude, excitation frequency, gap size, particle size, and particle mass on the dissipated power and effective mass of the PID. The power data were then systematically collapsed into a pair of two-dimensional master design curves with unitless axes which are comprised of combinations of design parameters. A “damping efficiency” of the PID may be predicted from the design curves for specific applications. A physical interpretation of the design curves is given, and the performance of a PID on a structure is used to verify their predictive capabilities.
Particle impact dampers (PIDs) have been shown to be effective in vibration damping. However, our understanding of such dampers is still limited, based on the theoretical models existing today. Although considerable research has been carried out in the generic field of 'impact oscillators,' much of it uses sophisticated mathematical tools and is somewhat inaccessible to the practicing engineer. Predicting the performance of the PID is an important problem, which needs to be investigated more thoroughly. This research seeks to understand the dynamics of a PID as well as what parameters govern its behavior. The system investigated is a particle impact damper with a ceiling, under the influence of gravity. The base is harmonically excited in the vertical direction. A discrete event approach is used, wherein the variables at one 'event' (or impact) uniquely dictate the variables at the next 'event', leading to a two-dimensional difference map. This map is then solved using a numerical continuation procedure. Periodic impact motions and 'irregular' motions are observed. The effects of various parameters such as the gap clearance, coefficient of restitution and the base acceleration are analyzed. The dependence of the loss factor on these parameters is also studied. The loss factor results indicate a peak for certain combinations of parameters. These combinations of parameters correspond to a region in parameter space where two-impact-per-cycle motions are observed over a wide range of non-dimensional base accelerations. The value of the non-dimensional acceleration at which the onset of two-impact-per-cycle solutions occurs depends on the non-dimensional gap clearance and the coefficient of restitution. The range of non-dimensional gap clearances over which two-impact-per-cycle solutions are observed increases as the coefficient of restitution increases. In the regime of two-impact-per-cycle solutions, the value of non-dimensional base acceleration corresponding to onset of these solutions initially decreases and then increases with increasing the non-dimensional gap clearance. As the two-impact-per-cycle solutions are associated with high loss factors that are relatively insensitive to changing conditions, they are of great interest to the designer.
Continuously morphing aircraft wings are currently a focus of considerable research. Efforts are being made to achieve effective and optimal wing shape change under different flight conditions such as take off, cruise, dash, and loiter. The present research aims to achieve wing morphing by using an internal structure consisting of actuated tendons and passive struts. An important aspect of this approach is determining the optimal layout of tendons and struts. In this paper a genetic algorithm is developed to optimize the three-dimensional tendon-strut layout for a prescribed wing geometry and shape change. The method is applied to two morphing wing applications, the NASA HECS wing and NextGen TSCh wing.
Synthetic-jet actuators have been intensely studied recently. The interest in these devices is elicited by their usefulness in fluid-control applications, including boundary-layer control, combustion control etc. A synthetic-jet actuator is a zero-net-mass-flux device, and is comprised of a diaphragm mounted to enclose a volume of fluid in a cavity. The diaphragm bends sinusoidally, and fluid is periodically absorbed into and ejected from the cavity through an orifice. The outflow entrains the fluid around it and establishes a mean jet flow at a distance from the source. Piezoceramic materials have been used to drive the vibrating diaphragm, where the piezoceramic is glued directly to a silicon diaphragm. In combustion systems, improved turbulent mixing of air and fuel proper can significantly improve efficiency and reduce pollution. In boundary-layer separation control applications, synthetic-jets are used to improve aerodynamic performance by delaying separation and stall over the airfoil. The current work describes the modeling and design of a single-crystal piezoceramic-driven synthetic-jet actuator, and demonstrates that the efficiency of the actuator increases when single-crystals piezoceramic materials are used instead of the more conventional polycrystalline piezoceramics.
Space systems comprise sensitive electronics and delicate mechanical instruments that need to be protected against harsh vibration and shock loads encountered during launch or landing. High damping viscoelastic materials are often used in the design of geometrically complex, shock and vibration isolation components. Since shock transients are characterized by a broad frequency spectrum, and since viscoelastic materials are characterized by frequency-dependent mechanical properties, it is necessary to properly model this behavior over the frequency domain of interest. The Anelastic Displacement Fields (ADF) method is employed herein to model frequency-dependence of material properties within a time-domain finite element framework. A solid, four-node tetrahedron, ADF-based finite element is developed for single and multiple ADF. This particular element is then validated and used for the general purpose of investigating damping in given structures that employ viscoelastic materials. The new three-dimensional finite element may also be used to investigate the potential phase dependence of the Poisson's ratio for such materials. The model predictions are compared against theory.
The development of a new class of devices for the suppression of structural vibration becomes possible by exploiting the unique properties of single crystal piezoceramics. These vibration absorbers will be compact, robust, and demand minimal power for operation. They will be characterized by frequency agility, which means that the absorber tuning parameters can adapt rapidly to controller command and tuning can be accomplished over a wide frequency range. Identified applications include control of turbomachinery vibration, flexible space structures, jitter control in optical systems, and vibration isolation in machinery mounts. The current state of the art adaptive vibration absorber tuning range is fundamentally limited by the electromechanical coupling of presently available polycrystalline piezoceramic materials. The narrow tuning range characteristic of current vibration absorbers severely limits the implementation of the solid-state absorber concept. This work presents efforts related to the design of vibration absorbers that use the single-crystal piezoceramic large electromechanical coupling to achieve greatly enhanced tuning over a wide frequency range. Absorber electromechanical coupling-coefficients greater than 50% were obtained. Design issues specifically related to the use of single crystals in vibration absorbers were identified and addressed. Several device configurations were analyzed and tested. Good agreement was observed between analytical and experimental results.
A rotary actuator driven by piezoelectric bimorphs has been developed for various smart structure applications. A rotary (roller) clutch rectifies bimorph oscillation into rotational motion to convert electrical to mechanical power. While prototype actuators perform well, they were designed with just engineering intuition. Here, a mathematical model of the actuator is developed. Using empirical data collected from a prototype actuator and a roller clutch, the mathematical model was tuned so that it predicted accurately the performance of the prototype. The model was then used to perform parameter studies and optimize the design of the actuator. The model predicts that performance can be significantly increased by making slight modifications to the prototype. Work to verify these predictions of the mathematical model is underway.
KEYWORDS: Wave propagation, Finite element methods, Motion models, Matrices, Neon, 3D modeling, Signal attenuation, Thermodynamics, Particles, Data modeling
Sensitive mechanical or electrical components often require protection from the potentially damaging effects of vibration and shock loading. High-damping viscoelastic materials are usually used in the design of impact-absorbent components. Since shock transients are characterized by a broad frequency spectrum, it is imperative to properly model frequency dependence of material parameters over the frequency range of interest. The Anelastic Displacement Fields (ADF) method is used to incorporate frequency-dependence within a finite element formulation. This method considers the effect of material anelasticity on the displacement field, as opposed to directly modeling physical damping mechanisms. ADF-based, plane-stress, and plane-strain finite elements are developed in order to facilitate the modeling of complex viscoelastic structures. The governing equations and assumptions underlying the various finite element developments are presented. In this paper, corresponding finite element models are used to model shock propagation and absorption through viscoelastic beams. The model predictions are validated against wave propagation theory, which shows that ADF-based finite element models are capable of capturing wave propagation phenomena, such as geometric dispersion, and viscoelastic attenuation and dispersion of longitudinal waves in beams. The behavior of mechanical filters in realistic shock conditions is also investigated. ADF three-dimensional finite element models could thus be successfully employed to design mechanical filters, or compare the benefits of using one viscoelastic material over another for a given shock-mitigating task.
A compact high-torque rotary motor was developed for use in large-displacement structural shape control applications. The main principle underlying its operation is rectification and accumulation of small resonant displacement of piezoelectric bimorphs using roller clutches as mechanical diodes. On the driving half of each cycle, the forward motion of the bimorph is converted to rotation of the shaft when the hub drive torque exceeds that of the load. On the recovery half of each cycle, a second, fixed, roller clutch prevents the load from backdriving the shaft. This approach substantially increased the output mechanical power relative to that of previous inchworm-type motor designs. Experiments to date, conducted under conditions of continuous operation at a 90 Vrms drive level, have demonstrated a stall torque of about 0.4 N-m, a no-load speed of about 750 RPM, peak power output greater than 1 W, and power density of about 5 W/kg. While not yet competitive with conventional motor technologies, this motor may also be fabricated in unusual (i.e., non-cylindrical) form factors, enabling greater geometric conformability than that of typical motors. The use of commercial roller clutches, piezoelectric bimorphs, and single frequency drive signals also results in a simple, inexpensive design.
A compact rotary motor driven by piezoelectric bimorph actuators was developed for applications in adaptive, conformable structures for flow control. Using a roller wedge (rotary roller clutch) as its central motion rectifying element, the actuator converts electrical power to mechanical power by way of a set of resonating bimorph/mass systems. With this type of resonant drive system, the output mechanical power of the actuator was dramatically improved over previous inchworm-type designs. Also, the actuator cost was kept low by using commercial roller clutches and bimorph actuators instead of PZT stacks. Within an application size constraint of 4 x 4 x 1.75 inches, the unloaded speed was 600 RPM, the stall torque was 0.5 N-m, and the peak output power was nearly 4 watts. The motor is driven by a single frequency sinusoidal input, resulting in significant improvements of the cost, size and complexity over typical piezoelectric actuator drivers. Since the backlash of the roller clutch is a critical parameter in assessing the motor performance, an experimental study was performed to better understand its dynamics.
KEYWORDS: Transducers, Polarization, Switches, Acoustics, Electrodes, Finite element methods, Coating, Projection systems, Receivers, Chemical elements
Being high Q devices, low frequency underwater transducers often lack bandwidth. Variable resonance frequency transducers offer the double advantage of increased effective bandwidth and maximum response at all frequencies within the bandwidth. This paper presents and evaluates a technique to vary the first resonance frequency of some widely used underwater acoustics transducers: flexural piezoceramic bars and disks. DC bias electric fields are added to the AC driving field and used to generate in-plane tensile or compressive loads. These loads modify the flexural rigidity of the transducer, which in turn affects its resonance frequencies. Theoretical investigations show that the frequency shift per DC field is linked to the ratio of the in-plane blocked force to the critical buckling load of the transducer. This ratio depends on the type of piezoceramic material and coupling, the boundary conditions, the length to thickness ratio of the transducer, and the piezoceramic thickness and coverage. Calculations show that both significant frequency shifts per DC field and acceptable device coupling coefficients may be achievable in practice. A flexural bar transducer using k31 coupling was built and tested. The experimental frequency shift per DC field and coupling coefficient were lower than predicted. Measurements show the existence of a polarization switch due to a combined compressive stress and negative field effect at -400 V/mm DC field. This polarization switch limits the range of useful negative DC fields, therefore limiting the total frequency shift, and also results in a permanent reduction of the polarization level, therefore reducing the amount of frequency shift per DC field. In the case of k31 coupling, one must determine the safe stress and field region for the material and try to operate within the corresponding DC field range. In the case of k33 coupling, compressive stresses and negative fields do not occur simultaneously, and the available DC field range should be much higher.
A linear inchworm motor was developed for applications in adaptive, conformable structures for flow control. The device is compact (82 X 57 X 13 mm), and capable of unlimited displacement and high force actuation (150 N). The static holding force is 350 N. Four piezoceramic stack elements (two for clamping and two for extension) are integrated into the actuator, which is cut from a single block of titanium alloy. Actuation is in the form of a steel shaft pushed through a precision tolerance hole in the device. Unlimited displacements are achieved by repetitively advancing and clamping the steel shaft. Although each step is only on the order of 10 microns, a step rate of 100 Hz results in a speed of 1 mm/s. Since the input voltage can readily control the step size, positioning on the sub-micron level is possible.
A linear inchworm motor was developed for structural shape control applications. One motivation for this development was the desire for higher speed alternatives to shape memory alloy based devices. Features of the subject device include compactness (60 X 40 X 20 mm), large displacement range (approximately 1 cm), and large holding force capability (approximately 200 N). There are three active piezoelectric elements within the inchworm: two `clamps' and one `pusher'. Large displacements are achieved by repetitively advancing and clamping the pushing element. Although each pusher step is small, on the order of 10 microns, if the step rate is high enough, substantial speeds may be obtained (approximately 1 cm/s). In the past, inchworm devices have been used primarily for precision positioning. The development of a robust clamping mechanism is essential to the attainment of high force capability, and considerable design effort focused on improving this mechanism. To guide the design, a lumped parameter model of the inchworm was developed. This model included the dynamics of the moving shaft and the frictional clamping devices, and used a variable friction coefficient. It enables the simulation of the time response of the actuator under typical loading conditions. The effects of the step drive frequency, the pre-load applied on the clamps, and the phase shifts of the clamp signals to the main pusher signal were investigated. Using this tool, the frequency bandwidth, the optimal pre-load and phase shifts which result in maximum speed were explored. Measured rates of motion agreed well with predictions, but the measured dynamic force was lower than expected.
A tunable solid state piezoelectric vibration absorber and an active tuning method were developed and demonstrated. A passive vibration absorber generally acts to minimize structural vibration at a specific frequency associated with either a tonal disturbance or the response of a lightly damped structural vibratos mode. Because this frequency is rarely stationary in real applications, damping is usually added to ensure some level of effectiveness over a range of frequencies. Maximum response reductions, however, are achieved only if the absorber is lightly damped and accurately tuned to the frequency of concern. Thus, an actively-tuned vibration absorber should perform better than a passive one and, furthermore, could be made lighter. In its simplest form, a vibration absorber consists of a spring-mass combination. A key feature of the tunable vibration absorber described herein is the use of piezoelectric ceramic elements as part of the device stiffness. The effective stiffnesses of these elements was adjusted electrically, using a passive capacitive shunt circuit, to tune the resonance frequency of the device. The tuning range of the absorber is thus bounded by its short- circuit and open-circuit resonance frequencies. An alternative tuning approach might employ resistive shunting, but this would introduce undesirable damping. Another feature of the device is the ability to use the piezoelectric elements as sensors. A control scheme was developed to estimate the desired tuning frequency from the sensor signals, to determine the appropriate shunt capacitance, and then to provide it. The shunt circuit itself was implemented in ten discrete steps over the tuning range, using a relay-driven parallel capacitor ladder circuit. Experimental results showed a maximum 20 dB, and a 10 dB average improvement in vibration reduction across the tuning range, as compared to a pure passive absorber tuned to the center frequency, with additional benefit extending beyond the tuning range.
A coupling coefficient is a measure of the effectiveness with which a shape-changing material (or a device employing such a material) converts the energy in an imposed signal to useful mechanical energy. There are different kinds of material and device coupling coefficients, corresponding to different modes of excitation and response. Device coupling coefficients are properties of the device and, although related to the material coupling coefficients, are generally different from them. It is commonly held that a device coupling coefficient cannot be greater than some corresponding coupling coefficient of the active material used in the device. A class of devices was recently identified in which the apparent coupling coefficient can, in principle, approach 1.0, corresponding to perfect electromechanical energy conversion. The key feature of this class of devices is the use of destabilizing mechanical pre- loads to counter inherent stiffness. The approach is illustrated for a piezoelectric bimorph device: theory predicts a smooth increase of the apparent coupling coefficient with pre-load, approaching 1.0 at the buckling load. An experiment verified the trend of increasing coupling with pre-load. This approach provides a way to simultaneously increase both displacement and force, distinguishing it from alternatives such as motion amplification, and may allow transducer designers to achieve substantial performance gains for some actuator and sensor devices.
KEYWORDS: Finite element methods, Control systems, Chemical elements, Matrices, Sensors, Motion models, 3D modeling, Modal analysis, Mathematical modeling, Systems modeling
A finite element for planar beams with active constrained layer damping treatments is presented. Features of this non- shear locking element include a time-domain viscoelastic material model, and the ability to readily accommodate segmented (i.e. non-continuous) constraining layers. These features are potentially important in active control applications: the frequency-dependent stiffness and damping of the viscoelastic material directly affects system modal frequencies and damping; the high local damping of the viscoelastic layer can result in complex vibration modes and differences in the relative phase of vibration between points; and segmentation, an effective means of increasing passive damping in long-wavelength vibration modes, affords multiple control inputs and improved performance in an active constrained layer application. The anelastic displacement fields (ADF) method is used to implement the viscoelastic material model, enabling the straightforward development of time-domain finite elements. The performance of the finite element is verified through several sample modal analyses, including proportional-derivative control based on discrete strain sensing. Because of phasing associated with mode shapes, control using a single continuous ACL can be destabilizing. A segmented ACL is more robust than the continuous treatment, in that the damping of modes at least up to the number of independent patches is increased by control action.
A shunting method has been developed and experimentally verified for tuning the natural frequency and damping of a piezoceramic inertial actuator (PIA). Without power, a PIA behaves much like a passive vibration absorber (PVA). PVAs typically minimize vibration at a specific frequency often associated with a lightly damped structural mode. Large response reductions, however, may only be achieved if the PVA is accurately tuned to the frequency of concern. Thus, an important feature of a PVA is the ability to be accurately tuned to the possibly varying frequency of a target vibration mode. Tuning an absorber requires a change in either the mass or stiffness of the device. The electromechanical properties of the piezoceramic forcing element within a PIA in conjunction with an external passive electrical shunt circuit can be used to alter the natural frequency and damping of the device. An analytical model of a PIA was created to predict changes in natural frequency and damping due to passive electrical shunting. Capacitive shunting alters the natural frequency of the actuator only, while resistive shunting alters both the natural frequency and damping of the actuator. Experiments using both passive capacitive and passive resistive shunt circuits verified the ability to predictably shift the natural frequencies of the piezoceramic inertial actuator by more than 5%.
In an earlier SPIE paper, we described the development of a strain actuator consisting of a thin, co-fired, multilayered, PZT stack mounted within a titanium frame. The frame concept was designed to facilitate integration of the piezoceramic stack into a composite material during the fabrication process. The frame preloads the stack in compression, protects it during material fabrication and most importantly, provides an efficient shear transfer path to the surrounding host material. Because the piezoceramic stack power requirements are quite high, a special amplifier was also designed to meet the high current and voltage requirements. In this paper we focus on assessing the performance of the framed stack actuator for a variety of loading conditions. The calibration procedure uses a specially designed apparatus which loads the framed stack with a variety of impedances ranging from very compliant to very stiff. The mechanical power generated by the stack is measured directly in terms of the force transmitted to these loads along with their displacement. Electrical power is measured directly in terms of electrical current and voltage and is also computed in terms of the electrical admittance of the stack. Results show that the actuator is most efficient when a nearly matched impedance condition exists between the framed stack and its corresponding load.
The thermal response of a specific piezoceramic induced-strain actuator (the Penn State SPICES 'frame' actuator) was investigated under two conditions: (1) as a free device; and (2) embedded in a woven glass/epoxy composite panel. Actuators were driven at various combinations of electric field strengths and frequencies. Field strengths ranged from 75 kV/m to 1.5 MV/m (10 to 200 Vrms over a 135 micron thickness), while frequencies ranged from 100 Hz to 2000 Hz. The 50-ply composite panel was instrumented with thermocouples at 4 locations through the panel thickness. Temperature measurements were recorded continuously from an initial ambient isothermal state until a steady state temperature distribution was reached. Temperatures increased with frequency and field level, with heat generation roughly proportional to the frequency and to the square of the field level, consistent with a dielectric loss mechanism. The temperature rise at the actuator-composite interface, when driven at 100 Vrms and 500 Hz, was 50 degrees Celsius. The data indicate that self-heating in applications involving a combination of high field levels, high frequencies, and thick composites can result in high internal temperatures, and possibly lead to reduced performance and reliability.
An inertial actuator, also known as a proof mass actuator (PMA), applies structural forces by reacting against an inertial mass. This paper introduces a class of recently developed piezoceramic PMA and its application to reduce vibration and structure-borne noise. The design incorporates displacement amplification to efficiently achieve low resonant frequency. A method is presented for assessing the efficiency of a piezoceramic PMA and comparing the power density of competing PMA technologies (ie, voice-coil vs. piezoceramic vs. magnetostrictive). The performance of the PMA is demonstrated by measuring the force generated against an infinite impedance and measurements on a structure representative of a turbo-prop fuselage. The experimental testing demonstrates the validity of a simple vibration absorber model in understanding PMA performance on complex structures.
The design of a piezoceramic actuators which is to be embedded in a composite structure is examined. The actuator device must: (1) include a collocated accelerometer; (2) meet certain actuation authority (force, stroke) requirements; (3) be able to survive the embedding process; and (4) have a minimal effect on structural integrity. The need to accommodate an accelerometer limits the minimum thickness of the device. To ensure that the (brittle) piezoceramic material is not broken during the embedding process, it is encased within a frame which has been designed to protect the piezoceramic from short durations of high temperature and pressure. Additionally, the frame is used to apply a compressive prestress to the piezoceramic, ensuring that the piezoceramic is protected from tensile stresses encountered in the operating environment. The output strain levels of the piezoceramic are maximized by using a co-fired stack (178 layers) oriented such that the piezoceramic is excited in the 3 - 3 direction. Because the layers of the piezoceramic stack are to be driven at high voltages, a special high power amplifier was designed which can source the current required by the actuator. The performance of the actuator alone has been tested by driving it uniaxially into a known impedance and measuring the output force and displacement at low frequency. Results form the tests and associated models are presented, which demonstrate the performance capabilities of the actuator.
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