In this thesis we use a new numerical code, based upon a mixed FEM-Runge-Kutta method, for the analysis and the design of plane 2-dimensional smart structures. We applied the developed code to the study of arbitrarily shaped piezo-electromechanical (PEM) plates. This code is based on a weak formulation of their governing equations as found in [18]. The optimal parameters needed to synthesize the appropriate electric networks are computed, and the overall performances of such plates are investigated. In particular, two examples are studied: firstly, a simple case is used to test the main features of the code; secondly, a more complex PEM plate is designed and analyzed by means of the proposed numerical approach. / Master of Science

In this thesis a piezo-electro-mechanical system, constituted of an aluminum beam with five piezoelectric patches glued on it, each of them shunted with an RL electrical circuit, has been numerically and experimentally investigated, in order to determine the optimal electric tuning parameters for vibration damping. A numerical code based upon Galerkin weighted-residual method is developed and the complete piezo-electro-mechanical system is designed, realized and finally tested by a standard modal testing technique. Comparisons between different shunting configurations of the system are given and finally the experimental data are compared with ones obtained by the developed numerical code in order to verify the accuracy of the latter. / Master of Science