Buckling Enhancement of Column Strips with Piezoelectric Layer

This paper discusses the enhancement of the buckling capacity of column strips by use of piezoelectric layer. The analytical model for obtaining the buckling capacity of the piezoelectric coupled column with general boundary conditions modelled with different types of springs applied at the ends of the column is derived the first time. Based on this proposed model, the buckling capacity of the column strips can be accurately predicted by solving an eigenvalue problem. The computational results show the great potential of the piezoelectric materials in enhancing the buckling capacity of the column strips. The optimal locations of the piezoelectric layer for higher buckling capacity are also obtained for the columns with. standard pinned-pinned, fixed-free, and fixed-pinned structures. In addition, the buckling capacity and the increase of buckling capacity are discussed for those columns with the general boundaries as well. This research may provide a benchmark for the buckling analysis of the piezoelectric coupled strips.