The paraboloidal membrane shell with free boundary condition is actively controlled using photostrictive actuators which can provide contactless actuation under the illumination of ultraviolet light. The governing equations of the paraboloidal shell laminated with paired photostrictive actuators are established based on membrane approximation. The modal control actions of meridional/circumferential actuators are respectively formulated and evaluated by case studies. Constant light intensity related to the velocity of the shell is adopted, and then the governing equations are written in a closed-loop form which can be solved with Newmark-β method. Considering the multi-field coupling behavior of photostrictive actuators, time histories of transverse displacement and control light intensity are simulated and evaluated. The results show that photostrictive actuators can effectively control the vibration of the paraboloidal membrane shell, and the photostrictive actuators oriented along circumferential direction can give better control effect than photostrictive actuators placed along the meridional direction.
