Research on active control of rigid-flexible coupling piezoelectric rectangular thin plate

At present, rigid-flexible coupling systems have been used in various engineering fields extensively, due to task demands, the systems have become complex increasingly, and thus, it is crucial to study the dynamic problems and active control of rigid-flexible coupling systems. Piezoelectric materials with electromechanical coupling phenomenon have great applications in active control of rigid-flexible coupling systems. In the current study, the active control of rigid-flexible coupling rectangular thin plate is investigated based on piezoelectric effect. The dynamic model of rigid-flexible coupling piezoelectric rectangular thin plate is established first using the Hamilton’s principle, and its discrete form is obtained using the superposition method. The dynamic equations of the system are numerically solved using the Newmark-β method. The active control of the rigid-flexible coupling system has been carried out. Case studies show that, for rigid-flexible coupling rectangular thin plate, the rigid motion will drive the vibration of flexible thin plate, and the vibration of the flexible thin plate can cause rigid body motion. The piezoelectric patch can achieve active control of rigid body motion and flexible plate vibration simultaneously. The active control effect is related to the distribution position and thickness of the piezoelectric patch, as well as the excitation voltage. The closer the piezoelectric patch is to the edges of the rectangular thin plate, the better the active control effect on the rigid body motion. The closer the piezoelectric patch is to the center of the rectangular thin plate, the better the active control effect on the flexible plate vibration. Furthermore, the thicker the piezoelectric patch, the greater the excitation voltage, and the better the active control effect. The conclusion of the current work has direct and important engineering applications.