Multidisciplinary research-curriculum development in smart structures

This paper focuses on the curriculum development portion of an ongoing project whose goal is to integrate research results with curriculum development in the area of smart structures. These courses are intended for seniors and graduate students in Electrical, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. Two courses, each with a laboratory component, have been developed and taught during the spring and fall semesters in 1994. The topics covered include some review in mechanics of materials and linear system theory, sensors, actuators, advanced topics in vibrations, control, system identification, and composite materials in the first course. The second course treats structural control techniques, active and passive damping using piezoceramic actuators, modeling and control of distributed systems, and neural networks for smart structures. Both courses are team-taught by two instructors, one from the Department of Electrical Engineering and one from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.