The paper presents a formulation for modelling the linear behaviour of anisotropic and non-homogeneous beams embedding piezoelectric sensors and actuators. The generalised compliance/stiffness matrix of a beam section, i.e. the one linking section deformations and electric voltages to the corresponding conjugated forces and free electric charges applied to the piezoelectric components, is evaluated by extending an existing semi analytical formulation based on a finite elements discretisaton of the beam section. The sectional compliance/stiffness thus obtained is then used for a finite volumes discretisation of the beam along its length so that the analysis of anisotropic and non homogeneous beams embedding piezoelectric devices can be carried out without any undue approximation. Such a modelling of three dimensional piezo beams is very effective and can be used also in presence of geometric structural non linearities. Some applications demonstrate the flexibility and the effectiveness of the method in the analysis of piezo beams and actively controlled beam structures. Some of the results obtained with the present approack are compared with three dimensional finite element solutions to verify the soundness of the method and to give full evidence of its feasibility, effectiveness and convenience.
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