Finite element models applied in active structural acoustic control

This paper discusses the modeling of systems for active structural acoustic control. The finite element method is applied to model structures including the dynamics of piezoelectric sensors and actuators. A model reduction technique is presented to make the finite element model suitable for controller design. The reduced structural model is combined with an acoustic model which uses the radiation mode concept. For a test case consisting of a rectangular plate with one piezo patch the model reduction technique is validated. The results show that the an accurate prediction of both the structural and acoustic response is predicted by the reduced model. The model is compact requiring small simulation times, which makes it attractive for control system design. Finally the control performances for both structural and acoustic error criteria are presented

Optimization strategy for actuator and sensor placement in active structural acoustic control

In active structural acoustic control the goal is to reduce the sound radiation of a structure by means of changing the vibrational behaviour of that structure. The performance of such an active control system is to a large extent determined by the locations of the actuators and sensors. In this work an approach is presented for the optimization of the actuator and sensor locations. The approach combines a numerical modelling technique, for predicting the control performance, and genetic optimization, to find the optimal actuator and sensor locations. The approach is tested for a setup consisting of clamped rectangular plate with a piezoelectric actuator and either structural or acoustic sensors. The results show that a control system with optimal actuator and sensor configuration outperforms an arbitrary chosen configuration in terms of reduction in radiated sound power