Abstract

This paper investigates the flexural vibration control effects produced on a distributed two-dimensional thin structure by an electrically shunted piezoelectric patch tuned vibration absorber. The study highlights how the high modal overlap factors that characterise the response of thin two-dimensional distributed structures and the electromechanical, capacitive, stiffening and inertial, inherent properties of the piezoelectric patch transducer substantially influence the tuning of the electrical shunt and consequently the vibration control effects produced at frequencies near a given resonance frequency of the structure. In particular, the study shows that the classical approach considering a simplified two degrees of freedom equivalent model of the structure and shunted piezoelectric patch is inadequate to identify the optimal tuning parameters of the shunt. The study, also provides general guidelines for the dimensioning of the piezoelectric patch transducer and electrical shunt in order to maximise the electro-mechanical vibration absorption. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.