Computer modeling and simulation of passive piezoelectric vibration shunt control

The technique of using smart material for vibration control has many advantages such as lighter weight and smaller size. Passive vibration shunt control using piezoelectric ceramics (PZT) has been studied by many researchers both analytically and experimentally. In this paper, the modeling of a passive vibration shunt control on a cantilever beam using a finite element analysis software package ANSYS((R)) is presented. With the computer modeling and simulation, the impact of material property on the effectiveness of passive piezoelectric vibration control has also been studied. This is postulated to be because of the mechanical impedance match between the structure and PZT transducer. The method provides a useful mechanism for selecting the material properties of a structure so that its vibration control can be optimized.