Performance characteristics of active constrained-layer damping

Author(s):  
Amr M. Baz ◽  
Jeng-Jong Ro
1995 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Baz ◽  
J. Ro

Theoretical and experimental performance characteristics of the new class of actively controlled constrained layer damping (ACLD) are presented. The ACLD consists of a viscoelastic damping layer sandwiched between two layers of piezoelectric sensor and actuator. The composite ACLD when bonded to a vibrating structure acts as a “smart” treatment whose shear deformation can be controlled and tuned to the structural response in order to enhance the energy dissipation mechanism and improve the vibration damping characteristics. Particular emphasis is placed on studying the performance of ACLD treatments that are provided with sensing layers of different spatial distributions. The effect of the modal weighting characteristics of these sensing layers on the broad band attenuation of the vibration of beams fully treated with the ACLD is presented theoretically and experimentally. The effect of varying the gains of a proportional and derivative controller and the operating temperature on the ACLD performance is determined for uniform and linearly varying sensors. Comparisons with the performance of conventional passive constrained layer damping are presented also. The results obtained emphasize the importance of modally shaping the sensor and demonstrate the excellent capabilities of the ACLD.


2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 877-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Laplante ◽  
T. Chen ◽  
A. Baz ◽  
W. Sheilds

Vibration and sound radiation from fluid-loaded cylindrical shells are controlled using patches of Active Constrained Layer Damping (ACLD). The performance and the enhanced damping characteristics via reduced vibrations and sound radiation in the surrounding fluid is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally. A prime motivation for this work is the potential wide applications in submarines and torpedoes where acoustic stealth is critical to the effectiveness of missions. A finite element model is also developed to predict the vibration and the acoustic radiation in the surrounding fluid of the ACLD-treated cylinders. The developed model is used to study the effectiveness of the control and placement strategies of the ACLD in controlling the fluid-structure interactions. A water tank is constructed that incorporates test cylinders treated with two ACLD patches placed for targeting specific vibration modes. Using this arrangement, the effectiveness of different control strategies is studied when the submerged cylinders are subjected to internal excitation, and the radiated sound pressure level in the water is observed. Comparisons are made between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions to validate the finite element model.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document