Theoretical analysis of the energy conversion and vibration control characteristics of a slanted beam termination

The fundamental beam structure is often regarded as a wave or energy carrier in a wide range of research topics for structural engineering. Nevertheless, in the related literature the beam is positioned either horizontally or vertically, which may limit its application flexibility. Very few studies have investigated the energy conversion and vibration control characteristics induced by the flexural and axial waves coupling at a slanted angle discontinuity. This research aims to investigate the dynamic characteristics of a slanted beam termination (SBT), a finite beam with one end attached to a host structure and the other end free in a slant configuration. A generic wave-based formulation is developed to obtain both the waveguides distribution and the point impedance of the SBT taking the flexural and axial waves coupling into account. The semi-infinite beam (SIB) with the proposed SBT case is compared with the classic two SIBs case in terms of the energy conversion phenomena influenced by the connection angle and frequency. In the SIB with the SBT case, a certain connection angle will enable the SBT to achieve a substantial energy conversion at its resonance. From the vibration control perspective, a benchmark cantilevered beam is adopted to examine the SBT’s vibration control performance theoretically and is verified experimentally. This research lays the foundation for the design of the beam-like device for energy conversion and vibration suppression by the variation of connection angle rather than the conventional tuning method based on the stiffness, mass and damping.