Semi-passive vibration control technique via shunting of amplified piezoelectric actuators

The objective of this paper is to provide results of an experimental and analytical investigation of Amplified Piezoelectric Actuators (APA) as vibrational isolator in a configuration of a mechanical Single Degree of Freedom system. The investigation is aimed at assessment of the mechanical properties modification ability via shunting techniques. The investigation consist of a phenomenological modelling of the APAs considered as generators and experimental verification of the vibrational energy dissipation ability in frequency domain.

The results obtained during this investigation reveal that it is feasible to receive more than 20 dB reduction of the displacement amplification in the resonant range. Moreover, three tested examples of APA reveal up to 9 % of resonant frequency shift due to proper adjustment of the electronic shunting circuit, which is an encouragement for further analyses towards application of the APAs in semi-passive vibration control applications.