Optimal dynamic response control of elastically tailored nonuniform thin-walled adaptive beams

A dual approach based on structural tailoring and adaptive materials technology aimed at controlling the dynamic response of tapered thin-walled beams exposed to external pressure pulses is presented. Whereas structural tailoring uses the directionality properties of advanced composite materials, the adaptive materials technology exploits the actuating and sensing capabilities of piezoelectric material systems bonded or embedded into the host structure. The structure is modeled as a doubly tapered composite thin-walled beam incorporating a number of nonclassical features such as transverse shear, warping inhibition, anisotropy of constituent materials, and rotatory inertias. The cases of piezoactuators spread over the entire span of the structure or in the form of a patch are considered, and issues related to the influence of patch location and size on the control efficiency are discussed. Other issues related to the implications of the inclusion/discard in the quadratic performance index of time-dependent external excitations are also addressed. The displayed numerical results provide a comprehensive picture of the synergistic implications of the application of both techniques, namely, the tailoring and optimal control on vibration response of nonuniform thin-walled beam structures exposed to external time-dependent excitation.