Abstract
A new three-dimensional thin shell element for a structure containing an integrated distributed piezoelectric sensor and actuator is Proposed. The assumed strain formulation and the bubble function are introduced to improve the performance of the shell element. A finite element formulation gives a general tool that can predict the static or dynamic responses of the shell with piezoelectric sensor/actuator. The verification through the calculation of the static response for the piezoelectric bimorph beam shows that the results agree with those from the theoretical analysis very well. Dynamic response of a shell shows that the reduction of vibration is possible with the introduction of the piezoelectric shell sensor and actuator. However. the curvature of sensor/actuator is an obstacle for application, since the flexible PVDF is not strong enough and the PZT with curvature should be made specially.
