The vibration of a rectangular laminated elastic plate with embedded piezoelectric sensors and actuators

We use the three-dimensional linear theory of elasticity to analyse the steady-state vibrations of a simply-supported rectangular linear elastic laminated plate with embedded PZT layers. Some of these PZT layers act as actuators while the remaining act as sensors. It is assumed that there is perfect bonding between different layers. Numerical results for a thin and a thick plate containing one embedded actuator layer and one embedded sensor layer are presented. For the former case, the optimum location of the centroid of the excited rectangular region that will result in the maximum out-of-plane displacement for a given distribution of the applied voltage is also determined. Equivalently, an equal and opposite voltage applied to this region of a vibrating plate will be most effective in diminishing these vibrations. The maximum shear stress at the interface between the sensor and the lamina is lower than that between the actuator and the lamina. The point of maximum output voltage from the sensor coincides with that of peak out-of-plane displacement. The variations of displacement and stress components through the thickness for the thin and thick plates are similar. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.