Creating and verifying a research-grade simply supported cylinder with PZTactuation

In many aerospace and structural applications, idealized cylinders are used to approximate more complex structures such as airplane fuselages and rock et payload fairings. Many authors have created sophisticated models of the structural response of cylinders excited by a variety of actuators. However , these models are seldom verified experimentally. None of the models creat ed to describe the response of a simply supported (SS) cylinder have ever b een verified. In this work several different boundary conditions are create d to approximate an ideal SS cylinder. The different boundary conditions te sted are described and compared with finite-element analysis (FEA) and with an impedance-based analytical model for a piezoelectric actuator (PZT) exc iting a SS cylinder. The work presented describes the steps taken in creati ng a physical boundary condition whichapproximates the ideal boundary condi tion for a SS cylinder and also evaluates the response of the impedance mod el for a PZT exciting a SS cylinder. The results indicate that the created physical boundary condition resembles the ideal SS boundary condition. The structural response computed by the impedance model is also shown to agree with the experiment and with the FEA. The results can be used to create oth er experimental SS cylinders and can also be used in modelling more complic ated aerospace structures. (C) 1999 Academic Press.