DETERMINATION OF DESIGN OF OPTIMAL ACTUATOR LOCATION AND CONFIGURATION BASED ON ACTUATOR POWER-FACTOR (REPRINTED FROM JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT MATERIAL SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES, VOL 6, PG 456-464, 1995)

In this paper, a new design algorithm is proposed for optimization of the induced-strain actuator location and configuration for active vibr ation control based on an actuator performance index, namely the actua tor power factor. The concept of actuator power factor, developed rece ntly by the authors, describes the capability of an integrated induced strain actuator, such as PZT or Terfenol, to transfer the supplied el ectrical energy into structural mechanical energy (kinetic or potentia l energy of the mechanical system). A system optimized based on the ac tuator power factor will guarantee the highest energy efficiency for s ingle frequency and broad-band applications. This paper will also show that a higher energy efficiency corresponds to higher mechanical perf ormance. The approach introduced in this paper is much more convenient to use than the conventional modal domain optimization approach. Furt hermore, since the power factor approach can include the electrical pa rameters from the power system, it will allow a system optimization de sign including the power electronics and energy consumption. The basic concept of the actuator power factor will be introduced first in this paper. Its utility in the system optimization will be discussed using a PZT actuator-driven simply-supported beam. The optimization of actu ator location, length, and thickness will be discussed through numeric al examples. This paper will also discuss how to use the actuator ener gy density and actuator power factor to estimate the dynamic response of a system.