Analysis of Smart Laminated Composites Employing Piezo Embedded Super Element

The concept of distributed sensing and actuation has led to the development of new structures called smart/intelligent structures. The existing monolithic piezoelectric materials being used in smart structures pose several draw backs. The piezoelectric fibers are currently being available and they may be used to manufacture synthetic piezo-fiber reinforced composites to overcome the above short falls. In the present study, a multidirectional 3D FE model employing super element concept is developed to model structural composite as well as piezo-fiber composite. The FE model is validated for composite structure with piezo-patch. The numerical results show a good agreement with those of the standard FE results. The active control capability and dynamic characteristics of laminated plate with AFC layers is also studied through numerical examples. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.