Energy dissipation analysis of piezoceramic semi-active vibration control

In this paper, the performances of two novel low frequency piezoceramic shunt techniques for structural damping are compared to the traditional passive resonant shunt circuit technique. The first novel technique is a semi-active variable stiffness technique in which bonded piezoceramic actuators are switched from the short circuit to open circuit states. This technique changes the stiffness of the structure for two quarters of its vibration period, thus dissipating energy. The second novel technique is a semi-active pulse switching technique in which a resistor-inductor shunt circuit is periodically connected to the bonded piezoceramic actuators. This technique applies charges to the piezoceramic actuators in a manner similar to the well-known Direct Velocity Feedback control technique. The energy dissipated from the structure depends on the magnitude of the applied charge. A description of energy dissipation mechanisms is shown for each switching method and for the traditional passive resonant shunt technique applied to a simple single degree of freedom system.