Effectiveness of optimized fuzzy controllers

on partially delaminated piezocomposites

Panagiotis Koutsianitis, Georgios

K.Tairidis, Georgios A.Drosopoulos,
Georgia A.Foutsitzi & Georgios
E.Stavroulakis
Acta Mechanica
ISSN 0001-5970
Acta Mech
DOI 10.1007/s00707-016-1771-6

1 23

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Author's personal copy

Acta Mech
DOI 10.1007/s00707-016-1771-6

O R I G I NA L PA P E R

Panagiotis Koutsianitis Georgios K. Tairidis

Georgios A. Drosopoulos Georgia A. Foutsitzi
Georgios E. Stavroulakis

Effectiveness of optimized fuzzy controllers on partially

delaminated piezocomposites
Received: 9 May 2016 / Revised: 20 September 2016
Springer-Verlag Wien 2016

Abstract Delamination between the layers of smart composite beams is a possible failure type. The effectiveness of active vibration control, when delamination appears, is investigated in this article. In particular,
optimized fuzzy controllers are developed and tested on partially delaminated piezocomposites. A finite element model based on layerwise theory, which incorporates the electromechanical coupling and the adhesive
layer, is first developed. Delamination is considered by nonlinear structural analysis techniques and is used for
the creation of realistic partially delaminated structures. Fuzzy controllers are built and applied to the smart
structure. The fine-tuning of the parameters of control is done using genetic algorithms. Based on the results
obtained from the numerical investigation, the applicability of fine-tuned fuzzy controllers, even in the case of
partial delamination, is shown. According to different delamination scenarios, which were tested in this work,
the design of adaptive fuzzy controllers, robust against delamination, is feasible.

1 Introduction
Advanced structures with integrated self-monitoring and control capabilities are very important due to the rapid
development of smart mechanical systems and space structures. The finite element method has been widely
employed in vibration and shape control of piezoelectric smart structures [14]. In the analysis of integrated
smart composite structures, it is important to take into consideration imperfections, such as delamination, that
are often pre-existent due to production inefficiency or are caused by extreme loadings during service life.
P. Koutsianitis G. K. Tairidis G. E. Stavroulakis (B)
School of Production Engineering and Management, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
E-mail: gestavr@dpem.tuc.gr
Tel.: +30 2821037418
Fax: +30 2821037486
P. Koutsianitis
E-mail: panoskout@gmail.com
G. K. Tairidis
E-mail: tairidis@gmail.com

G. A. Drosopoulos
School of Civil Engineering, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
E-mail: DrosopoulosG@ukzn.ac.za
G. A. Foutsitzi
Department of Accounting and Finance, Technological Educational Institution of Epirus, 48100 Preveza, Greece
E-mail: gfoutsi@teiep.gr

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P. Koutsianitis et al.

In [5], the effect of prescribed delamination on the natural frequencies of laminated composite beams is
examined both experimentally and theoretically. Back propagation neural networks have been trained to predict
delamination size in the composite beams based on the modal frequencies of the structure. A layerwise approach
that takes into account the adhesive layer flexibility is used in [6] for the simulation of delamination phenomena
in multi-layer plates with piezoelectric layers. Special finite elements, which incorporate linear Lagrange and
conforming Hermite-type interpolation functions, are also developed. A mathematical model that incorporates
EulerBernoulli beam theory is proposed in [7] for the investigation of partially delaminated piezoelectric
layers. In [8], a delamination damage identification scheme is developed by using an inverse approach, according to which finite element analysis is used to quantify the magnitude of delamination. Then, an optimization
procedure incorporating a genetic algorithm is used to evaluate the optimum delamination parameters.
In [9], a dynamic model, which incorporates a moving mesh strategy based on the arbitrary Lagrangian
Eulerian (ALE) formulation, is proposed to describe delamination phenomena in FRP-reinforced concrete
beams. A multi-scale computational homogenization scheme is proposed in [10], for the study of debonding
between the matrix and the surrounding fibres, in the microscopic scale of composite materials. A classical
unilateral contact law between the constitutive materials has been incorporated in the microscopic level. More
recently, a model, which is used to describe delamination or fracture in multi-layered composite beams by
combining fracture mechanics and moving mesh techniques, is proposed in [11].
Although extensive research has been conducted in investigating delamination in laminated composites,
less attention has been given to the effects of delamination on the performance of piezoelectric layers of smart
structures. In [12], the effect of delamination on the performance of surface-mounted piezoactuators on a
cantilever beam is investigated. It is shown that the edge delamination significantly decreases the coupling
performance of piezoactuators. Furthermore, the delamination leads to variation of the dynamic characteristics
of the composite beams. In [13] are experimentally studied the variations in natural frequencies and actuation characteristics of the composite beams subject to sudden delamination. It is also a numerical simulation
performed for adaptive vibration control of the composite specimens with delaminated piezoelectric actuator
using a neuro-controller. The vibration control results show significant reductions in vibrational levels for both
numerical and real-time neuro-adaptive control. A dynamic model for the response of a beam driven by the
piezoelectric actuators glued to the lower and upper beam surfaces is proposed in [14]. The edge delamination
was modelled by changing the effective length of the debonded actuator. The analysis indicates that the edge
delamination has a harmful effect on the performance of piezoactuators, but the significant decrease in natural
frequencies with an increase in delamination length is not observed. The influence of the delamination length
on the system transfer functions (the beam surface strain, the beam transverse displacement, and the shear
stresses in bonding layers) is also shown.
In [15] the influence of actuator debonding on the performance of a LQG-based active vibration control
is studied. A simple modelling scheme for multiple debonding is proposed, which can also idealize multiple
delamination in the host laminate. In general, the damages in actuators have reduced their potential to perform
multi-functional load carrying and vibration control. A finite element model for a piezoelectric plate with
edge debonded actuators is developed in [16]. It aims to investigate the effect of edge debonding on actuation
authority, natural frequencies, and vibration control performance. According to the results, edge debonding in
surface-bonded piezoelectric actuators has significantly reduced the actuation authority.
It is obvious that delamination may have a detrimental effect on the performance of the piezoactuator since
it promotes poor coupling between the piezoelectric layers and the substrate to be controlled. In addition,
control algorithms are known to be sensitive with respect to uncertainties in the dynamical system. Thus, the
study of the influence of delamination on the performance of smart piezoelectric systems addresses important
practical issues.
In this paper, active fuzzy control of a three-layered plate composite containing piezoelectric sensors
and actuators is studied based on a layerwise approach that considers the adhesive layer flexibility [6,17].
Delamination between the layers may appear and influences the effectiveness of active vibration control. The
parameters of fuzzy controllers are optimized, using genetic algorithms. Numerical results demonstrate that a
suitably designed and optimized fuzzy controller works effectively in both the initial and partially delaminated
structure. For severely delaminated structures, further adaptation may become necessary.
2 Modelling of the piezocomposite plate
Consider a laminated composite plate bonded with piezoelectric sensor and actuator layers and adhesive layers
between them, as shown in Fig. 1. The length, width, and thickness of the whole plate are denoted by L, b, and

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Effectiveness of optimized fuzzy controllers

( )

z3

3rd Layer
h

( a2 )

2ndAdhesiveLayer
2nd Layer

( )

z, z

h2

(1)
( )

z2

( )

x3

1st AdhesiveLayer

( )

x2

( )

x, x 1

st

1 Layer

Fig. 1 A three-layered composite plate

h, respectively. The theory is able to handle plates with an arbitrary number of actuators, sensors, and elastic
layers, including adhesive layers between them.
2.1 Piezoelectric constitutive equations
For simplicity of the notation, all the non-adhesive layers will be considered as piezoelectric layers. Elastic layers are then obtained by making their piezoelectric constants vanish. The linear constitutive equations
coupling the elastic and the electric fields in a piezoelectric medium are expressed as:

 
    T 

(i) = Q (i) (i) e(i)
E (i) ,
     


D (i) = e(i) (i) + (i) E (i)

(1.1)
(1.2)

where { (i) } is the stress tensor, {(i) } is the strain tensor, {D (i) } is the electric displacement, {E (i) } is the
electric field, [Q (i) ] is the elastic stiffness matrix, [e(i) ] is the piezoelectric matrix, [ (i) ] is the permittivity
matrix of the ith layer, and the superscript T denotes the transpose of a matrix. Equation (1.1) describes the
inverse piezoelectric effect, and Eq. (1.2) describes the direct piezoelectric effect.
Next, we assume that the piezoelectric material exhibits orthorhombic 2 mm symmetry. Making use of the
plane strain approximation and separating the bending- and shear-related variables, Eq. (1) becomes



    T 

(i)
(i)
(i)
= Qb
b eb
E (i) ,

 
    T 

(i)
(i)
(i)
s(i) = Q (i)

e
E
,
s
s
s

        

(i)
(i)
D (i) = eb
b + es(i) s(i) + (i) E (i)
(i)

(2.1)
(2.2)
(2.3)

(i) (i) T
(i)
(i) (i) T
where {b(i) } = {x(i)
x , yy , x y } , {s } = { yz , x z } , and

(i)
(i)


Q 11 Q 12
0




(i)
0
Q
(i)

(i)
(i)
44
Q b = Q 21 Q (i)
,
0 , Qs =
22
0 Q (i)
(i)
55
0
0 Q 66

(i)
(i)
0
0 0
11 0
0
0 e15
 
 
 

(i)
0 0 , es(i) = e(i) 0 , (i) =
eb(i) = 0
0 22 0 .
24
(i)
(i)
(i)
e31 e32 0
0
0
0
0 33
(i)

(i)

(3)
(i)

In Eq. (3), Q kl are the reduced elastic constants, ekl are the reduced piezoelectric constants, and kk are the
reduced permittivity constants of the ith layer. The detailed expressions for these constants can be obtained
from [18]. In Eq. (2), a layer can be either a piezoelectric or an elastic one. In the latter case, material constants
(i)
(i)
ekl
and kk
should be zero.

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2.2 Displacementstrain relation

The kinematic assumption is based on a first-order shear theory of small strains. Assuming that the mid-planes
of the individual layers are parallel to each other and employing a common coordinate system (x, y, z) given
in Fig. 1, the displacements of the non-adhesive layers can be written as:


(i)
u 1 (x, y, z, t) = u (i) (x, y, t) z 
z (i) x(i) (x, y, t) ,
(4.1)


(i)
u 2 (x, y, z, t) = v (i) (x, y, t) z 
z (i) y(i) (x, y, t) ,
(4.2)
(i)
u (i)
3 (x, y, z, t) = w (x, y, t)

(4.3)
(i)

(i)

where u (i) , v (i) , and w (i) are the mid-plane deformations of the ith layer, x and y are rotation angles of
the normal to the mid-plane about the y and x axes, respectively, and z (i) is the thickness of the mid-plane of
the ith layer.
The bending and shear strains of the ith layer can be written as:
    
     
(i)
(i)
(i)
b = 0b + z z (i) (i) , s(i) = 0s
(5)
where
T

T   
T
   u (i) v (i) u (i)
v (i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
= x(i)x , (i)
=

=
,

, (6.1)
,
,
+
yy
xy
s
yz
xz
0b
x
y
y
x


T
T
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
 
   w (i)
(i)

y
y
x
x
(i)
(i)
(i) w
(i)

=
, 0s =
. (6.2)
,
,
+
y ,
x
x
y
y
x
y
x


(i)

2.3 Electric fieldelectric voltage relations

A constant transverse electrical field is assumed for the piezoelectric layers, and the remaining in-plane components are supposed to vanish. Consequently, the electric field intensity can be expressed as:




(i)
(7)
E (i) = B E (i)
(i)

where [B E ] = {0, 0, h1(i) }T , and h (i) , (i) are the thickness and the electric voltage of the i-th piezoelectric
layer respectively.

2.4 The adhesive layer

The adhesive layers between the host plate and the piezoelectric layers are assumed to be very thin, and
(a)
(a)
their deformation is linear. Only transverse normal stress (z ) and strains (z ), and in-plane shear stress
(a) (a)
(a)
(a)
( yz , x z ) and strains ( yz , x z ) are taken into account. The in-plane stretching of the adhesive layer is
neglected, since its stiffness in that direction is quite small.
The linear deformations of the adhesive layers are written in terms of the deformations of the adjacent
structural layers as follows (see Fig. 2):
(a )

(i),t

u1 i = u1

u 2(ai ) = u (i),t
2
u 3(ai ) = u (i),t
3



(i),t
(i+1),b
(i),t z z
+ u1
u1
,
(a
h i)


(i),t
(i),t z z
+ u (i+1),b

u
,
2
2
h (ai )


(i),t
(i),t z z
+ u (i+1),b

u
3
3
h (ai )

(8.1)
(8.2)
(8.3)

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Effectiveness of optimized fuzzy controllers
z , u3

th

( i + 1) layer

h(

u1( i +1),b

ai )

z ( i ),t

i ,t
u1( )

i th layer

x, u1

Fig. 2 Displacement field of the adhesive layer

where superscripts t and b refer to the top or bottom surface of the related layer. For example,
u (i),t
= u (i) x(i)
1

h (i)
h (i)
h (i+1)
, u 1(i+1),b = u (i+1) + x(i+1)
and z (i),t = z (i) +
.
2
2
2

= u (i),b
= w (i) .
In addition, since transverse displacement is independent of the vertical coordinate: u (i),t
3
3
Then, Eq. (8) can be rewritten in the following compact form:

 
 

 
(a )
(a )
u (ai ) = Rt i (z) u (i+1) + Rb i (z) u (i)
(9)
(i)

(i)

where {u (i) } = {u (i) , v (i) , w (i) , x , y }T is the generalized displacement vector,



(ai )

Rt

Z 0

(z) = 0 Z 0
0 0 Z

h (i+1) Z
2

0
0

h (i+1) Z
2

(ai )

Rb

(z) =

1 Z
0
0

1 Z
0
0
1 Z

(i)

h2 Z

(i)
h2 Z ,
0

0
0

(i)

and Z (a1i ) (z z (i) h2 ).

h
Using these displacements and taking into account that the adhesive layer is much thinner than the adherents,
the shear and peel strains of the adhesive layers can be written as ([6])
w (i+1) w (i)
,
h (ai )


1
h (i) (i) h (i+1) (i+1)
(i+1)
(i)
= (a ) v
v +
+
y
,
2 y
2
h i


1
h (i) (i) h (i+1) (i+1)
= (a ) u (i+1) u (i) +
x +
x
.
2
2
h i

(ai )
=
zz

(10.1)

(ai )
yz

(10.2)

x(az i )

(10.3)

Equation (10) can be written in the following compact form:

 
 


 
i)
(ai ) = L t(ai ) (z) u (i+1) + L (a
u (i)
(z)
b

(11)


  (a ) (a ) (a ) T
where (ai ) = zz i , yz i , x z i
, and



L t(ai ) (z) =

0 0 1
1
0 1 0
h (ai )
1 0 0

0
0

h (i+1)
2

h (i+1)


L b(ai ) (z) =

0
0 1
1
0 1 0
h (ai )
1 0
0

0
0

h (i)
2

h (i)

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P. Koutsianitis et al.

The peel and shear stresses in the adhesive layer can be written as

(ai )
(a )

E (ai )
0
0
zz i
zz


 


(ai )
(ai )
(ai )

=
(ai ) = Q (ai ) (ai )
or
0
G
0
yz

yz
(ai )

0
0
G (ai ) x(az i )
x z

(12)

where E (ai ) , G (ai ) are the elastic and shear moduli of the adhesive layer ai .

2.5 Finite element formulation

Hamiltons variational principle is used to derive the equations of the plate, i.e.
"T
(T U + W ) dt = 0

(13)

where T is the total kinetic energy, U is the total strain energy, and W is the work done by the loads.
The total kinetic energy and the total strain energy of the system are the sum of the corresponding energies
of the individual layers.
The kinetic energy of the ith layer and the kinetic energy of the ai adhesive layer, respectively, are given by
"   
" 
T 

 

T
1
1
T (i) =
u (i)
I (i) (z) u (i) dV, T (ai ) =
u (ai )
I (ai ) (z) u (ai ) dV
(14)
2
2
V (ai )

V (i)

where

1
0

0
1



0
0
I (i) (z) = (i)
#
$
z z (i)
0
#
$
0
z z (i)
(a )

$
#

0 z z (i)
# 0 (i) $
0
0
z z 


, I (ai ) (z) = (ai ) I3 .

1
0
0

#
$2

0
0 z z (i)
#
$2
(i)
0
0
z z

(a )

(a )

I3 is the 3 3 identity matrix, u (ai ) = {u 1 i , u 2 i , u 3 i }T , and V (i) , V (ai ) are the volumes of the ith layer and
ai adhesive layer, respectively.
The strain energy for the ith layer is given by
" %  
" %  
&
&
    T 

T
T
1
1
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)

U =

(z) E
D (z)
dV =
dV
2
2
V (i)

V (i)

(15)
where
   T  T  T T
(i)
(i)
(i) = 0b
, (i) , 0s
and

 T


#
$  (i) 
(i)
(i)
e
z

0
Q
Q (i)
b
b 
b



 #

#
$ (i)  #
$2  (i) 
$  (i) T

(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
.

z z
Qb
0 , (z) = z z
D (z) = z z
Qb
eb






(i)
(i) T
0
0
Qs
es

(16)

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Effectiveness of optimized fuzzy controllers

The strain energy for the ai adhesive layer is given by

" %
T 
& 1 "
1
(ai )
(ai )
U (ai ) =
=
2
2

%

(ai )

T 

Q (ai )


&
(ai ) dV.

(17)

V (ai )

V (i)

(i)

The total work is the sum of the work done by the electrical forces W E and the work done by the mechanical
forces W (i) , where
" 
" 
T 

T   
  T   

1
1
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
E
WE =
E
D
dV =

E
+

E
dV , (18)
2
2
(i)
(i)
V
V
"   
" 
 "  T 


T  
 T 
T
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(i)
Fc +
u
f s dS +
u
f v dV
E (i)
q (i) dS. (19)
W = u
S (i)

V (i)

(i)

(i)

S (i)
(i)

In Eq. (19), {Fc } denotes the concentrated forces, { f s } and { f v } denote the surface and volume force
vectors, respectively, and {q (i) } denotes the surface charge vector.
From Hamiltons principle given in Eq. (13), a finite element model has been developed for the threelayered adhesively bonded plate. The elements are rectangular and have four nodes in each layer. Thus, a
finite element for a three-layeredplate has 4 3 = 12 nodes with five degrees of freedom at each node. The
generalized displacement vector u (i) is interpolated as

 

u (i) (x, y, t) = [H ] de(i)

(20)

 
where [H ] is the interpolation matrix, and de(i) is the nodal variable vector given by
' (
[H ] = [[H1 ] [H2 ] [H3 ] [H4 ]] H j = H j I5 , j = 1, 2, 3, 4

   T  T  T  T T   
(i) (i)
(i) (i) (i) T
d (i)
=
u
de(i) = d1(i) , d2(i) , d3(i) , d4(i)
,
v
,
w
,

,
j
j
j
j
xj
yj

j = 1, 2, 3, 4.
(21)

H j , j = 1, 2, 3, 4 are bilinear isoparametric shape functions, and I5 is the unit matrix.

Substituting Eq. (20) into (16) gives


 
(i) (x, y, t) = [B] de(i)

(22)

where [B] = [[B1 ] [B2 ] [B3 ] [B4 ]],

0
0
x 0 0
0 y 0
0
0

y x 0
0
0

' ( 0 0 0 x 0

Bj =
Hj,
0 y

0 0 0
0 0 0
y
x

0 0 y 0
1
0 0 x 1
0

and x = / x, y = / y.
Applying Hamiltons principle equation (13), Eq. (23) for each element can be obtained,
'

(
(

  '
[Me ] de + K e(uu) {de } + K e(u) {e } = Fe(m)
'

'
(
(

K e(u) {de } + K e() {e } = Fe(q) ,

(23)

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P. Koutsianitis et al.
(1)

(2)

(3)

(1)

(2)

(3)

where {de } = {{de }T , {de }T , {de }T }T , {e } = {e , e , e }T ,








(a1 )
(a1 )
+ Me(bb)
Me(bt)
0



 
 





(a1 )
(2)
(a1 )
(a2 )
(a2 )
(24)
Me + Me(tt) + Me(bb)
Me(bt)
Me(tb)
[Me ] =
,



 


(a2 )
(a2 )
Me(3) + Me(tt)
,
0
Me(tb)


 (1)   (a ) 

(a1 )
1
K e(bt)
0
K e + K e(bb)




 
 



'
(

(a1 )
(a1 )
(a2 )
(a2 )
K e(uu) =
K e(tb)
K e(2) + K e(tt)
+ K e(bb)
K e(bt)
(25)
,




 

(a2 )
(3)
(a2 )
0
K e(tb)
K e + K e(tt)

 (1) 
 (1) 
K e(u)
K e()
0
0
0
0
'





(
(
'

(2)
(2)
0
K e(u)
0
K e()
0
0
K e(u) =
, K e() =
, (26)





(3)
(3)
0
0
K e(u)
0
0
K e()

 
 
 T
( '
(T 

'
(1) T
(2) T
(3) T
Fe(q)
Fe(q)
Fe(q)
,
K e(u) = K e(u) , Fe(q) =


Fe(m) =



(1)

Me

 
 
 T
(1) T
(2) T
(3) T
Fe(m)
Fe(m)
.
Fe(m)

(27)

The submatrices which appear in Eqs. (24)(27) are given in the Appendix. After assembly, the global
equations for the smart composite plate can be obtained.

3 Modelling delamination of the material

The composite model has been modified by introducing a nonlinear delamination law between the layers as
shown in Fig. 3.
First, Eq. (10.1) is used to evaluate the strain of each adhesive element. If the strain is less than a value
given a priori (o ), no delamination appears in the element. Otherwise, delamination takes place. Delamination
may appear in the interface between the lower and the middle piezoelectric layer, the middle and the upper
layer or in both interfaces.
Then, based on this law, the tangent stiffness matrix of each element is properly created. In particular, when
no delamination is present in the element, the tangent stiffness is equal to the element stiffness matrix given by
Eq. (25). When delamination between the lower and the middle piezoelectric layer appears, and/or between
the middle and the upper layers, the element stiffness matrix is obtained by setting the corresponding element
stiffness of the adhesive layers equal to zero. Next, a stabilized iterative scheme is used for delamination
modelling, see [19,20].

Fig. 3 Stressstrain delamination law

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4 Soft computing and control

The classical control theories provide all necessary mathematical tools for the design of the controller as well
as the study of its properties (stability, robustness, etc.), but they are restricted to linear controllers. In addition,
they demand knowledge of the whole dynamical system or usage of suitable estimators.

4.1 Fuzzy control

Fuzzy controllers are based on fuzzy inference systems that have the ability to systematize existing knowledge
of an experienced user. This is achieved by enhancing classical variables with classes and making them fuzzy
variables, and, subsequently, by introducing linguistic rules to extract the action of the controller based on these
variables. Usually, these rules are difficult to be formulated for multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) systems;
therefore, most applications are based on multi-input, single-output (MISO) controllers. Fuzzy controllers are
nonlinear and usually robust against system uncertainties.
Hybrid and adaptive techniques that include fuzzy and other tools, usually neural networks or global optimization methods, enhance the performance and pride for more flexibility [2123]. In this case, the parameters
of a fuzzy system can be tuned using examples in order to suitable train neural networks or using optimization methods such as genetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization, differential evolution. Further details
on fuzzy control can be found in classical monographs like [24]. A two-input, single-output fuzzy inference
controller is tested in this paper. This configuration is suitable for a feedback control force based on the electric
potential and electric current, respectively, at a given point (collocated controller). If necessary, a set of independent (local, collocated [25]) fuzzy controllers can be installed on a large structure. In this paper, a genetic
algorithm was used for the fine-tuning of the involved parameters of the fuzzy controller, as well as for finding
the optimum position of the sensor.

4.2 Fuzzy inference system

A Mamdani-type nonlinear fuzzy inference controller, consisting of two inputs and one output (MISO), was
developed, with inputs the electric potential and the electric current and output the electric control signal. For
the description of the fuzzy system, triangular and trapezoidal membership functions are used for fuzzification,
and a set of 15 rules with weights equal to 1 and the AND-type logical operator have been used (see Figs. 4,
5, 6; Table 1). For the computation of the output of the individual rules, the operation minimum (min) is used,
and for the aggregation of the individual rule outputs into a single output of the system the operation maximum
(max). For the defuzzification, the centroid method was chosen.
Defuzzification has been done by the Centroid method. The graphic representation of the nonlinear controller, before tuning, is shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 4 Membership function of electric potential

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Fig. 5 Membership function of electric current

Fig. 6 Membership function of electric control signal

Table 1 Fuzzy inference system rules
Electric potential Electric current

Large positive

Positive

Null

Negative

Large negative

Positive
Null
Negative

Max
Med+
High+

Med+
Low+
Null

Low+
Null
Low+

Null
Low
Med

Low
Med
Min

Fig. 7 Graphic representation of rules (fuzzy control surface)

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4.3 Structural dynamics

Assuming that one (for example, the first) layer acts like a sensor and a second (for example, the third) one as
an actuator, the system equations can be written as:




(28)
[M] d (t) + [C] d (t) + ([K ] + [K S ]) {d (t)} = {Fm } + {Fel } ,
'
(1 '
(T
{ S } = K
(29)
K u {d}
where [M] is the mass matrix, [C] is the damping matrix, [K ] is the stiffness matrix, {Fm } is the loading
vector, {Fel } = [K u ]{ A } is the control force vector, and [K S ] = [K u ][K ]1 [K u ]T . In Eqs. (28) and

(29),{d(t)}, {d(t)}
and {d(t)}
denote the displacement, the velocity and the acceleration, respectively, and { S }
is the sensor output voltage.
For the application, the damping matrix [C] is given by a Rayleigh assumption:
[C] = 0.001 ([M] + [K ] + [K S ]) ,

(30)

{Fm } = {F0 } sin (t)

(31)

while the loading {Fm } is given by:

where {F0 } is the loadings width, and is the loadings frequency.
For the numerical integration of the differential equations of motion, Eq. (28), the Humboldt numerical
integration method was chosen, see among others [26].
Humboldt factors were set to = 0.25, = 0.5. The integration time was set to 3 s, while the time step
t was chosen equal to 0.001 s. Integration constants are given as:
&
%

1
1
1
c1 =
,
c

1
.
(32)
,
c
=
=
=
=
=
t
,
c
,
c
,
c
2
3
4
6
5
t
t

2
2
(t)2

5 Fine-tuning of the controller using applicable global optimization

Fuzzy control can achieve very satisfactory results on vibration suppression of smart structures in terms of
displacement, velocity, and acceleration [2,13,20,23]. In [4], it was shown that a fuzzy controller operates
successfully even in damaged structures. In order to maximize the performance of the control, fine-tuning of
the parameters of the fuzzy controller is necessary.
Genetic algorithms are used for the numerical solution of the fine-tuning problem. They are able to deal
with non-convexity, and they do not require the calculation of derivatives. On the other hand, they are timeconsuming, but this is not considered to be a serious drawback since fine-tuning is performed offline, which
means that the controller is tuned once at the beginning of the investigation. The algorithm was used for the
optimization of the membership functions of the inputs and/or the output of the fuzzy controller.
5.1 The genetic algorithm
A genetic algorithm is a derivative-free global optimization method that is based on a natural selection process,
simulating biological evolution. This method is suitable for both constrained and unconstrained problems. A
genetic algorithm, in contrast to classical optimization, works with a population of possible solutions instead
of a single individual solution. The optimum is being approached by the best solution of the population at each
iteration which is called generation.
The optimal solutions are approached by the evolutionary process of the population of possible solutions.
The parameters of the algorithm are chosen after a number of trials. The population size was set equal to
30, the maximum number of generations was set to 150, and a termination criterion stops the iterations after
50 generations without any improvement of the results.
The initial population was chosen by a stochastic process. Regarding the selection, the tournament selection
method was used, with the parameter q for the selection set to 4 members of the population. For the genetic
operators of crossover and mutation, the random crossover B and the random non-uniform mutation were

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chosen with possibilities of 0.8 and 0.1, respectively. The objective function was the percentage of oscillation
reduction in terms of displacement and acceleration as given in Eq. (33). The design variables are the positions
of the points that define the membership functions of inputs for triangular and trapezoidal functions.
5.2 The optimization problem
In addition to the objective function given by Eq. (33), linear inequality constraints guarantee the feasibility
of the resulting fuzzy controller.
Maximize:
# $
(33)
percentage = 0.4 percentage (d) + 0.6 percentage d
subject to:
x (i) <
x (i) >
x ( j) <
x ( j) >
where:

x (i + 1) if el. potential 0
x (i + 1) if el. potential < 0
x ( j + 1) if el. current 0
x ( j + 1) if el. current < 0

(max_displ_before_control) (max_displ_after_control)
max_displ_before_control
# $ (max_acc_before_control) (max_acc_after_control)
percentage d =
max_acc_before_control
max_displ_before_control = max (d before control) + |min (d before control)|
max_displ_after_control = max (d after control) + |min (d after control)|
$)
$ )
#
#
max_acc_before_control = max d before control + )min d after control )
$ )
#
$)
#
max_acc_after_control = max d after control + )min d after control )
percentage (d) =

0 < x (i) < 1, i = 1, . . . , 4

0 < x ( j) < 1, j = 1, 2.
The membership functions can be discretized in i, j points for the electric potential and the electric current as
shown in Fig. 8. In order to keep the membership functions symmetrical, the zero point is kept constant at the
centre of the horizontal axis of each variable.
The results of the optimization process for the fuzzy inputs of electric potential and electric current are
presented in Figs. 9 and 10, respectively.
6 Numerical examples
The mechanical behaviour of the smart composite structure, which was previously presented, will be initially
investigated. Results of the controlled structure are presented then, where possible delamination is considered
to be fixed (no further delamination during operation of the structure occurs).
6.1 Delamination of the smart composite structure subjected to mechanical loading
A composite plate with dimensions 100 100 mm, fixed on the left side (Fig. 11) is considered. Each finite
element consists of 12 nodes. Every node has 5 degrees of freedom (three translational and two rotational).
Therefore, the structure has 100 elements, 363 nodes and 1815 degrees of freedom.
A nodal force is initially applied to the right side of the structure, on the upper piezoelectric layer. When
the load is increased, delamination appears across the upper layer, which at the end of the analysis operates
completely independently of the underlying layers.
It should be mentioned that delamination in this example occurs simultaneously to all the elements of the
interface, as it has theoretically been justified in [27]. The gradual appearance of delamination, only to certain

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Effectiveness of optimized fuzzy controllers

Fig. 8 Discretization of membership functions of the electric potential for optimization of categories

Fig. 9 Optimized membership function of the electric potential

Fig. 10 Optimized membership function of the electric current

Fig. 11 Mesh, boundary conditions, and loading of the composite structure

parts of the interface, cannot be illustrated by a force mechanical load, due to the numerical instability, which
is introduced in the iterative NewtonRaphson procedure up to the point of failure. Consequently, softening
behaviour cannot be depicted in this case [28].
For this reason, a displacement loading is applied to the right edge of the upper piezoelectric layer, leading
to partial delamination, as it is shown in Fig. 12. The corresponding load (reaction)displacement diagram
(Fig. 13) has indeed a softening branch similar to the stressstrain law.
Further information on delamination modelling can be found among others in [10,20,29].

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Fig. 12 Displacement of the structure (m), when a displacement loading is applied to the upper piezoelectric layer and delamination
appears partially in the surface

Fig. 13 Force (reaction)displacement diagram for the structure with a displacement loading applied to the upper piezoelectric
layer and partial delamination

6.2 Fuzzy control on the initial (non-delaminated), coupled electromechanical model

In [30], a fuzzy controller was efficiently applied to reduce vibration of a smart plate operating under a nonlinear mechanical law. The purpose of the present study is to design a controller which works well even in the
presence of partial delamination.
It is worth mentioning that if delamination occurs at the sensor layer, the controller cannot operate at all.
For this reason, it is necessary to find the optimum position of the controller. The inputs of the controller are
the electric potential and the electric current as measured at the lower piezoelectric layer, which is used as a
sensor. Subsequently, the control force given by the controller is applied at the upper layer, which is used as
an actuator. The control force consists of pairs of parallel forces in the plane x y of the piezoelectric layer,
which subsequently imply a bending loading on the whole composite. External loadings were of sinusoidal
form F = A sin(t) and were placed to 5 nodes of the free end of the plate.
First, a structure without delamination of piezoelectric layers is investigated. In contrast to previous investigation using measurements of displacements and velocities at nodal points [4], instead of electric potential and
electric current, the oscillation reduction was not so satisfactory. This is due to the conversion of the displacement in electrical potential. However, as shown in Fig. 14 and Table 2, a satisfactory decrease in the oscillations
in terms of displacement and velocity is achieved. One disadvantage is that the acceleration is a little bit rough,
which makes the control unsatisfactory and a burden for the material and the piezoelectric devices.
In order to deal with this problem, it is necessary to fine-tune the parameters of the fuzzy controller. The
objective was the reduction in the displacement field and the improvement in the rough character of the acceleration diagram. The process that followed in order to achieve this aim was the optimization of the membership
functions of the variables of the controller as described in Sect. 5.2. The results of this investigation are shown
in Fig. 15 and Table 2. One can observe that displacement, velocity, and acceleration are improved, and the
behaviour of the acceleration has become slightly smoother.

6.3 Fuzzy control on the delaminated, coupled electromechanical model

At first, delamination was set to 10% of the total surface of the actuator. The results of this investigation are
presented in Fig. 16 and Table 2. The control force is applied at the side next to the delaminated part. One can

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Effectiveness of optimized fuzzy controllers

Fig. 14 Displacement, velocity, acceleration, and forces for the system without delamination

Table 2 Percentages of reduction in displacement, velocity, and acceleration

Percentage
of
reduction (%)

Displacement
Velocity
Acceleration

0% delamination

With delamination

No optimization
(%)

Memb. Fcn. optimization (%)

10% delamination (%)

50% delamination (%)

Collocated actuator delamination (%)

62.97
62.94
53.77

69.09
64.62
60.10

62.38
62.92
58.68

39.88
40.61
33.71

188.94
195.82
193.85

observe that for this slight delamination the oscillation reduction remains satisfactory in terms of displacement,
velocity, and acceleration, as it is shown in Table 2.
Furthermore, a relatively significant delamination of 50% of the actuator was studied. The results are shown
in Fig. 17 and Table 2. In this case, one can observe that the results of the control in terms of displacement,
velocity, and acceleration are noticeably worse compared to the ones of the case of 10% delamination; however,
the reduction achieved remains acceptable and shows that the fuzzy controller remains quite efficient, even
under large delamination.
If the delamination appears exactly at the position of the sensor or the collocated actuator, the effectiveness
of the control scheme drastically deteriorates even if an optimization algorithm tries to fine-tune the parameters.
For example, if the delamination lies between the actuator layer and the middle layer of the composites, the
results are shown in Fig. 18.
In Table 2, the percentage of the reduction in displacement, velocity, and acceleration for the investigations
of the electrical model are presented in detail.

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Fig. 15 Displacement, velocity, acceleration, and forces for the system without delamination and optimized membership functions

Fig. 16 Displacement, velocity, acceleration, and forces for the system with 10% delamination and optimized membership
functions of the fuzzy variables

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Effectiveness of optimized fuzzy controllers

Fig. 17 Displacement, velocity, acceleration, and forces for the system with 50% delamination and optimized MF of fuzzy
variables

Fig. 18 Displacement, velocity, acceleration, and forces for the system with delamination on the area between the actuator layer
and the middle layer of the composites

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7 Conclusions
A multi-layer formulation of a piezocomposite plate allowed us to investigate delamination effects and prepare
realistic models for the study of controlled structures including partial delamination. From numerical experiments, the applicability of fine-tuned fuzzy controllers has been shown. Further tuning, after the appearance
of delamination, is possible, resulting in an adaptive system.
The membership functions of input and output variables, as well as the position of sensorsactuators, are
modified by fine-tuning, which in turn is based on genetic algorithms. Other applicable global optimization
algorithms, like particle swarm optimization, can be used as well.
It should be mentioned here that exclusively collocated sensoractuator pairs have been considered in
this investigation. For this configuration, the simple pendulum-like linguistic rules can be used within fuzzy
control [4,24]. This fact is in accordance with classical observations in the smart structures community [25].
Non-collocated configurations would require optimal tuning of fuzzy linguistic rules as well. This investigation
has been left open for further research.
Compliance with ethical standards
Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Appendix
Detailed expressions of the submatrices appearing in Eqs. (24)(27) are given below:
element mass and stiffness matrices of the ith layer
"
"








T
(i)
(i)
(i)
Me =
[H ] I (z) [H ] dV , K e =
[B]T D(i) (z) [B] dV ;
V (i)

V (i)

element mass and stiffness matrices of the adhesive layer ai



"

(ai )
Me(bb)
=

(a )

V (ai )

"

(a )

V (ai )

"

(a )

(ai )

(ai )

[H ]T L b

i
=
K e(bb)

[H ]T Rt

i
=
Me(tb)

"

 




(a ) T (ai )
(a )
(ai )
I
Rb i [H ] dV Me(bt)
=
[H ]T Rb i

V (ai )

"

T 

(ai )

[H ]T L t

i
=
K e(tb)

T 

I (ai )

Q (ai )

T 



Rb



Q (ai )

(ai )

(ai )

Lb


(ai )

Lb

(a )

V (ai )

"

i
=
[H ] dV Me(tt)

(a )

V (ai )

"

i
=
[H ] dV K e(bt)


 


(a ) T (ai )
(a )
I
Rt i [H ] dV ,
[H ]T Rb i

(a )

V (ai )

"

i
=
[H ] dV K e(tt)

V (ai )


 


(a ) T (ai )
(a )
I
Rt i [H ] dV ,
[H ]T Rt i

 


(a ) T
(a )
Q (ai ) L t i [H ] dV ,
[H ]T L b i

 


(a ) T
(a )
Q (ai ) L t i [H ] dV ;
[H ]T L t i

V (ai )

element matrices related to the external mechanical excitation

"




 "



(i)
T
(i)
T
(i)
Fe(m) =
[H ] f v dV + [H ] Fc +
[H ]T f s(i) dS;
V (i)

S (i)

element matrices related to the electrical excitation


 " 
T  
(i)
Fe(q)
=
B E(i)
q (i) dS;
S (i)

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Effectiveness of optimized fuzzy controllers

element piezoelectric coupling matrix and element dielectric stiffness matrix of the ith layer
"
" 





T 




(i)
(i)
(i)
T
(i)
B E(i)
(i) (z) B E(i) dV .
K e(u) =
[B] (z) B E dV , K e() =
V (i)

V (i)
(i)

We note here that special care is needed in the numerical integration of [K e ]. The element stiffness matrix can
(i)
(i)
be considered to be composed of a bending stiffness part [K e(b) ] and a transverse shear stiffness part [K e(s) ].

(i)
Exact or full integration is then used for computing [K e(b)
], but reduced integration (one order lower) is used

(i)
for evaluating [K e(s)
].

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