The basic research project SCPVSA – Nonlinear shunt circuit piezoelectric vibration absorbers for structures and acoustics has been approved for funding by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI/ELIDEK), with professor Georgios Stavroulakis as the principal investigator, following a highly competitive selection process in which only 20 out of 222 proposals were selected for funding.

Smart structures exploit the synergy of multiple coupled physical phenomena to develop advanced materials and systems with enhanced functionality. These structures integrate sensors, actuators, mechanical and electronic components, and control systems. Designing such systems poses a multidisciplinary challenge with high relevance for industrial sustainability and resilience. The use of piezoelectric composite materials with integrated nonlinear shunt circuits significantly enhances the effectiveness and accuracy of vibration suppression in critical high-value structures, while paving the way for the development of novel metamaterials. The SCPVSA project focuses on the design and optimal tuning of smart structures equipped with piezoelectric patches and shunted electronic circuits. Applications in civil, mechanical, and acoustic engineering will be investigated.

The project is implemented under the 3rd Call for HFRI Research Projects to Support Faculty Members and Researchers, within Category II – Engineering Sciences and Technology (EP.2) (Project Number: 26236). Key collaborators include PhD candidate Maria-Styliani Daraki, postdoctoral researchers Nikos Papadakis and Kostas Marakakis (both PhD graduates of TUC), Professor Georgia Foutsitzi, Professor Nikolaos Antoniadis from the University of Ioannina, and Assistant Professor Georgios Drosopoulos from the International Hellenic University, a former postdoctoral researcher at TUC. This is the eighth project funded by HFRI with a Professor from the School of Production and Management Engineering as Principal Investigator.