Semi-active vibration control based on unsymmetrical synchronized switch damping: Analysis and experimental validation of control performance

In semi-active synchronized switch damping (SSD) approaches for structural vibration control, the damping effect is achieved by properly switching the voltage on the piezoelectric actuators. Unsymmetrical SSD switch circuit has been designed in the previous paper to increase the effective voltage range on the PZT actuator for improvement of the control performance. In this study, analysis and experimental validation of control performance of a synchronized switch damping system based on the unsymmetrical switch circuit are carried out. First the model of an unsymmetrical SSD system is presented and the working principle is introduced. The general expression of the switched voltage on the piezoelectric actuator is derived. Based on its periodicity in steady-state control, the harmonic components of the actuator voltage are derived using Fourier series expansion. Next, the displacement response of the system is derived under combined actions of the excitation and switched voltage. Finally, a setup of a flexible beam with unsymmetrical switch circuit is used to demonstrate the control performance under different voltage sources and to verify the theoretical results. The results show that the control performance mainly depends on the voltage range on the PZT. A higher effective voltage range can be generated in unsymmetrical SSDV than in symmetrical SSDV and better control performance can be achieved at the same negative actuator voltage. The unsymmetrical SSDV makes better utilization of the actuator capability.