Low Cost and Ultralightweight Active Vibration Control Structures Utilizing Pultruded Piezoelectric Fibers

This program describes development of an advanced product called Smart Elements for application to spaceborne BMDO systems subject to severe weight constraints coupled with dimensional control and stability requirements. Smart Elements are low cost, continuously-produced pultruded composite lineal shapes (such as a rod) which combine three elements of smart or active control structure - the composite structural element, a continuously distributed piezoelectric actuator, and the electrode structure to energize the actuator. With the addition of sensor and control electronics, a complete d. This provides one to two orders of magnitude improvement in vibration control through the use of active damping and embedded shape control, all at very significant weight and costs savings compared with traditional spacecraft design practice. Smart Elements are possible through two recent developments - availability of piezoelectric materials such as PZT in fiber form and advances in state-of-the-art for the pultrusion process which can accommodate such brittle fiber forms. KaZaK and its Principal Investigator are experienced in this field, having produced the first pultruded composite with an embedded piezoceramic actuator in 1991 very similar to the smart structure now commercially used in the ski industry.