Optimizing the performance of piezoelectric actuators for active vibration control

This paper discusses the selection process for piezoelectric transducers (PZT) used as actuator elements for suppressing vibrations in a flexible beam system. The effects of changing physical parameters such as the relative thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic with respect to the beam, the optimum location of the PZT actuator, and the length of the PZT are studied based on the singular value decomposition of the controllability Grammian of the resulting system. A model for a clamped-mass cantilevered beam is developed and its frequency response is compared with that obtained experimentally. Simulation results are given to illustrate how this method can be used to determine physical properties and location of the PZT actuator. Further experimental studies are currently being performed.