Vibration suppression of composite plates using smart electrorheological dampers

The objective of the present study is to enlighten the influence of external electrorheological (ER) dampers on the dynamic behavior of composite laminated plates. Short time response along with electric field depended rheological behavior of ER fluids make these materials attractive for active vibration control of structures. To demonstrate the effect of ER damper on dynamic response of the composite plate, the finite element formulation based on the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is obtained for laminated plates. Moreover, the Bingham plastic model, which presents the post-yield behavior of the ER material, is used to model the ER fluid. Several numerical results are presented and effects of imperative parameters are discussed. It is shown that parameters such as applied voltage, controlled electric field, radius and initial gap of the electrodes, position of the ER damper and the stacking sequences of the composite plate have considerable effect on the vibration suppression time of the plate. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.