Effectiveness of bending-torsional vibration damping using a piezoactuator

This study investigates the effectiveness of bending and torsional vibration damping in thin walled beams using piezoactuators. This project consist of three major parts: an experimental study, a numerical study and a theoretical study. A closed cross-section composite beam with induced piezoelements was fabricated. The effectiveness of piezoelements in bending and torsional vibration damping was tested. Flat beam response to piezoactuation was studied using COSMOS/M finite element software. That study made it possible to understand better the behavior of beams piezoactuated in bending and torsion. Application of Heaviside and Delta functions to model simple piezoactuated beam response is presented.