Self-sensing tunable vibration absorber incorporating piezoelectric ceramic-magnetostrictive composite sensoriactuator

A novel self-sensing tunable vibration absorber (SSTVA) is developed for active absorption of vibrations in vibrating structures. The SSTVA consists of a piezoelectric ceramic-magnetostrictive composite sensoriactuator suspended in a mounting frame by two flexible beams connected to the axial ends of the sensoriactuator. The sensoriactuator serves to produce an axial force for tuning of the natural frequency of the SSTVA, to gather the signals associated with structural vibrations and to provide a lumped damped mass for the SSTVA. By monitoring the sensoriactuator output voltage while adjusting its input magnetic field (or electric current), the natural frequency of the SSTVA is tuned to the targeted resonance frequency of a structure. In this paper, the working principle, design prototype and operating performance of a 62.5Hz SSTVA are reported. A high tunability of the natural frequency of 20% and a good sensing capability of vibrations comparable to a commercial accelerometer are obtained, together with a high absorbability of vibrations of ∼ 4dB in a steel-plate-neoprene resilient mount structure.