Finite Element Model for Damping Optimization of Viscoelastic Sandwich Plate Structures

摘要

In this work a simple and efficient finite element model is used for the dampingrnoptimization of multilayer sandwich plates, with a viscoelastic core sandwichedrnbetween elastic layers, including piezoelectric layers. The elastic layers are modeledrnusing the classical plate theory and the core is modelled using Reddy’s third-orderrnshear deformation theory. The finite element formulation is obtained by assembly ofrnN “elements” through the thickness, using specific assumptions on the displacementrncontinuity at the interfaces between layers. The free vibration response of dampedrnmultilayer sandwich plate structures is characterised by solving an eigenvaluernproblem to obtain the fundamental natural frequency and corresponding modal lossrnfactor. The optimization is conducted in order to maximize the fundamental modalrnloss factor, using gradient based algorithms, and afterwards, considering steady staternharmonic motion the analysis is conducted in time domain to obtain the platernresponse. The model is applied in the solution of some illustrative examples and thernresults are presented and discussed.