Optimization of energy dissipation characteristics of active constrained layer damping

The energy dissipation characteristics of active constrained layer damping (ACLD) treatments, consisting of visco-elastic cores constrained by active piezo-electric layers, are optimized using rational design procedures. The optimal lengths and control gains of these ACLD treatments are determined when a globally stable boundary control strategy is utilized to control the longitudinal strain of the active piezo-electric layers in response to the structural vibrations. The optimal parameters are obtained such that the sum of the passive and active loss coefficients of the ACLD treatments is maximized. The effect of the visco-elastic loss factor on the performance and the optimal parameters of the ACLD treatments is determined. Comparisons with optimal passive constrained layer damping (PCLD) indicate that the optimal ACLD is more effective in dissipating vibrational energy, particularly for visco-elastic cores with low-loss factors.