Auxetic enhancement of the shunted piezoelectric effect for vibration suppression

Shunted piezoelectric patches connected to passive electric circuits can be attached to a host structure for effective vibration attenuation. The effect of an auxetic layer to enhance the electromechanical coupling and subsequently the vibration suppression is studied here. Three different configurations are considered for the layer: a classical, a homogeneous auxetic and a layer with microstructure leading to auxetic behavior. First, is presented a modification of the “current-flowing” shunt circuit for multimode vibration control. Two finite element models have been validated, the frequency response graph of the system and the most suitable values of the electric parameters are calculated and a comparison is provided. Furthermore, it is shown that the vibration reduction of the second and third eigenmodes can be enhanced, provided that an auxetic of significant thickness is used. The results demonstrate the effect of the auxetic boosting on vibration suppression.