Effect of delamination on active constrained layer damping of smart composite beams

A novel work demonstrates the effect of delamination in smart laminated composite beams on the performance of active constrained layer damping (ACLD) treatment. A finite element model has been derived to formulate the dynamics of the composite beams integrated with a patch of ACLD treatment and a patch of piezoelectric film acting as a distributed sensor with and without the presence of delamination at different locations. Frequency response functions of the beams have been examined to observe the effect of delamination on the performance of ACLD treatment. It has been observed that the ACLD treatment improves the active damping characteristics of the beams, even in the presence of delamination, and that the responses of the beams are sensitive to the variation of the location of delamination. The responses due to active constrained layer damping presented may provide a useful guide to detect the presence of delamination in smart composite beams by the use of the existing numerical techniques.