Passive control of instability regions by means of piezoceramic elements

Abstract The studies on vibration frequency as well as loading capacity of slender systems are very important issues in the design process. Integration of smart materials with the host structures allows one to create constructions which are able to adjust to the different conditions. The piezo material belongs to the smart materials group. Application of voltage to the piezoparts leads to induction of forces which can cause prestressing of the host structure. The prestressing with the use of piezoceramic elements is a main subject of this paper. The investigated system constitutes a column which is loaded with the specific load. The specific load is realized by means of specially designed heads what results in divergence or divergence-pseudoflutter type of characteristic curves. The results presented in this paper are concern on comparison of the loading capacity magnitude and vibration frequency of a slender system with and without prestressing. Finally, it will be stated when to use complex system with piezopart or the simplified one without it.