Degenerated shell finite element for smart structures

Abstract

Piezoelectric materials are being explored for shape and vibration control. In this paper Finite Element formulation for analyzing general shell structures under the influence of piezoelectric actuators is presented. Reduced integration is carried out to overcome problem of shear locking, and integration is carried out numerically in all three directions to obtain accurate results. The FE formulation is compared with the current literature. Experiments are conducted on curved beams and experimental results are compared with the current Finite Element formulation. Non-linearity is observed at higher voltages. Typical FEA results on a doubly curved hemispherical shell are also presented.