Vibration analysis of nanocomposite microplates integrated with sensor and actuator layers using surface SSDPT

In the present work, nonlinear vibration analysis of polymeric nanocomposite microplates integrated with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) layers as sensors and actuators is investigated. The middle layer is reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and it's equivalent material properties are obtained by Mori–Tanaka approach. The nanocomposite and PVDF layers are subjected, respectively, to 2D magnetic and 3D electric fields. The system is rested on an elastic medium which is simulated with orthotropic Pasternak foundation. Based on the quasi‐3D sinusoidal shear deformation plate theory (SSDPT), the motion equations are derived considering surface effects using Gurtin–Murdoch theory. A partial‐differential (PD) controller is applied for the active control of the frequency through a closed‐loop control with bonded distributed PVDF sensors and actuators. Differential quadrature method (DQM) is applied in order to obtain the nonlinear frequency of microstructure. The detailed parametric study is conducted, focusing on the combined effects of the nonlocal parameter, magnetic field, surface stress, elastic medium, volume percent of CNTs, applied voltage, controller, and boundary conditions on the vibration behavior of microstructure. Results depict that applying the controller, the frequency significantly decreases. This investigation may be important for the design and smart control of microdevices. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:1936–1949, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers