Electromechanical coupling optimization for a sandwich beam activation using piezoceramics

Sandwich beams composed of two stiff carbon fiber skins and a viscoelastic core are often used to passively dissipate energy through the activation of shearing in a specific frequency range. Semi-active or active energy dissipation can be made possible on those structures adding piezoelectric patches, coupling mechanical vibration energy and electrical energy. J.L. Guyader et al. [jsv, 1978] theorized a frequency dependent equivalent dynamic model of a sandwich structure, recently extended to the homogenization of anisotropic multi-layers by F.Marchetti et al. [jsv, 2020]. This frequency-dependent stiffness of the beam has to be taken into account in the piezoceramic thickness definition in order to optimize the global electromechanical coupling coefficient. An analytical model is derived from the works of F.Marchetti et al. and adapted to predict the first vibration mode of a finite cantilever beam instrumented with a piezoelectric patch. The electromechanical coupling evolution is then calculated with the proper boundary conditions and for different PZT ceramic thicknesses. This model is furtherly used to define the best transducer configuration for a given sandwich structure beam.