Application of piezoelectric macro-fiber-composite actuators to the suppression of noise transmission through curved glass plates

This paper analyzes the possibility of increasing the acoustic transmission loss of sound transmitted through planar or curved glass shells using attached piezoelectric macro fiber composite (MFC) actuators shunted by active circuits with a negative capacitance. The key features that control the sound transmission through the curved glass shells are analyzed using an analytical approximative model. A detailed analysis of the particular arrangement of MFC actuators on the glass shell is performed using a finite element method (FEM) model. The FEM model takes into account the effect of a flexible frame that clamps the glass shell at its edges. A method is presented for the active control of the Young’s modulus and the bending stiffness coefficient of the composite sandwich structure that consists of a glass plate and the attached piezoelectric MFC actuator. The predictions of the acoustic transmission loss frequency dependencies obtained by the FEM model are compared with experimental data. The results indicate that it is possible to increase the acoustic transmission loss by 20 and 25 dB at the frequencies of the first and second resonant modes of the planar and curved glass shells, respectively, using the effect of the shunt circuit with a negative capacitance.