Vibration mitigation of composite laminated satellite solar panels using distributed piezoelectric patches

Satellites with flexible lightweight solar panels are sensitive to vibration that is caused by internal actuators such as reaction or momentum wheels which are used to control the attitude of the satellite. Any infinitesimal amount of unbalance in the reaction wheels rotors will impose a harmonic excitation which may interact with the solar panels structure. Therefore, quenching the solar panel\'s vibration is of a practical importance. In the present work, the panels are modeled as laminated composite beam using first-order shear deformation laminated plate theory which accounts for rotational inertia as well as shear deformation effects. The vibration suppression is achieved by bonding patches of piezoelectric material with suitable dimensions at selected locations along the panel. These patches are actuated by driving control voltages. The governing equations for the system are formulated and the dynamic Green\'s functions are used to present an exact yet simple solution for the problem. A guide lines is proposed for determining the values of the driving voltage in order to suppress the induced vibration.