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This paper concerns laminates made of composite plies with piezoelectric actuators. The subject of the paper is the research of laminates having, in some directions, null expansion coefficients in extension or having the same expansion coefficient in each direction (isotropic behavior). The general equations for the problem are given in the theoretical framework of the so-called polar method for the representation of plane tensors. Some simple formulas are given for the case of expansion coefficients of a standard plate introduced in the paper. Some numerical examples close the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pneumatic servo drives often demonstrate significant non-linearities and low natural frequency. This paper studies the feasibility in employing such drives to achieve simple motion profile following through adopting a high-gain control approach. A new design model is presented, which differs from previous research studies and provides the basis for formulating the control approach. A vane-type reciprocating actuator has been chosen for this study. The effects of various controller gain terms on dynamic responses and system stability are illustrated. A tuning procedure is thus identified on the basis of analytical and experimental observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]