Abstract
Non-contact light activated distributed opto-electromechanical actuators represent a new class of precision distributed actuator which are based on the photodeformation process and controlled by high energy lights, e.g., lasers and ultra-violet lights. Fundamental opto-thermo-electromechancial constitutive relations are discussed and formulations of optically induced control forces and moments introduced. Mathematical modeling and analysis of distributed opto-electromechanical shell actuators are presented. A generic distributed photo-actuation theory is proposed and the closed-loop opto-thermo-electromechancial equations of circular cylindrical shells are derived. The systems equations reveal the couplings among elasticity, photodeformation, pyroelectricity, and thermoelasticity. Active distributed control of flexible cylindrical shells using segmented distributed opto-electromechanical shell actuators are investigated and the control effectiveness is evaluated. Membrane and bending control effects are evaluated. Time history analyses of independent modal control reveal that the Lyapunov control is more effective than the proportional feedback control.