An experimental study on the active control of multiple-wave types in an elastic beam

In many practical situations, different types of waves may coexist within a structure. If control is limited to a single wave type, other kinds of waves may be generated unintentionally by the action of the control forces. In this paper an experimental study of the simultaneous control of multiple wave types in a semi-infinite beam has been undertaken. The ability of the piezoelectric control sources to Provide adequate system control and the ability of the accelerometer error sensors to provide adequate observability of the power flow associated with each wave type was also evaluated.