Dynamic response of laminated composite plates fitted with piezoelectric actuators

Abstract This chapter deals with the vibration behavior of laminated composite plates embedded with piezoelectric materials subjected to thermal and electrical loads. The finite element method is employed to examine the vibration analysis of composites. An eight-noded isoparametric element with five degrees of freedom per node is used in the present formulation. Based on first-order shear deformation plate theory, the governing equations are derived. The effects of rotary inertia and transverse shear are also considered in the current investigation. Using Galerkin’s weighted residual approach, the nonlinear matrix amplitude equation is derived and is solved by direct iteration method. A MATLAB code is developed to examine the influence of several parameters on the dynamic behavior of composite plates embedded with piezoelectric layers.