Dynamic effects of piezoelectric actuators on the vibrational response of a plate

This paper presents an analytical model and an experimental study for the response of plates actuated by piezoceramic elements. The variational approach with Hamilton's principle is used to develop the analytical model. This formulation, which is energy based, allows to consider any boundary conditions at the edges of the plate and to take into account the dynamic effects (mass loading and stiffness) of the piezoelectric actuators on the plate response. The ratio between the piezoelectric actuator mass and the plate mass considered in this work is small (less than 0.5%). Nevertheless, the model and the experiments demonstrate that the dynamic coupling between the piezoelectric actuators and the plate slightly modifies the plate modes. These structural modifications are apparent in some vibrational indicators, such as the displacement at the center of the plate and the volume displacement induced by the plate.