Vibration control of plates through hybrid configurations of periodic piezoelectric shunts

Periodic arrays of hybrid-shunted piezoelectric actuators are used to suppress vibrations of an aluminum plate over broad frequency bands. Commonly, piezoelectric-shunted networks are used for individual mode control, through tuned, resonant resistive/inductive circuits, and for broadband vibration attenuation, through negative impedance converters. Periodically placed resonant shunts allow for broadband reduction resulting from the attenuation of propagating waves in frequency bands which are defined by the spatial periodicity of the array and by the shunting parameters considered on the circuit. Such attenuation typically occurs at medium–high frequencies, while negative impedance converter networks are effective in reducing the vibration amplitudes of the lower modes of the structure. In this article, the combination of periodic resonant shunts and negative impedance converter networks on the same aluminum panel is studied to verify the possibility of combining the advantages of the two concepts. Both numerical and experimental investigations demonstrate that broadband attenuation is achieved in the mid–high frequency regimes due to the presence of resistive/inductive networks, while the combination with negative impedance converter circuits is responsible for amplitude reduction of the full frequency spectrum. Numerical simulations and frequency response measurements on a plate demonstrate that an attenuation region of about 1000 Hz is achieved with a maximum 8 dB vibration reduction.