Numerical and Experimental Investigation of a Semi-Active Vibration Control System by Means of Vibration Energy Conversion

A vibration control concept based on vibration energy conversion and storage with respect to a serial-stiffness-switch system (4S) has previously been proposed. Here, we first present a rotational electromagnetic serial-stiffness-switch system as a novel practical vibration control system for experimental validation of the concept and, furthermore, an improved control strategy for higher vibration suppression performance is also proposed. The system consists of two spring-switch elements in series, where a parallel switch can block a spring. As an alternating mechanical switch, the experimental system uses two electromagnets with a shared armature. By connecting the armature to the rotating load or the base, the electromagnets decide which of the two spiral springs is blocked, while the other is active. A switching law based on the rotation velocity of the payload is used. Modelling and building of the experimental system were carried out. The corresponding experiment and simulation were executed and they matched well. These results prove that our serial-stiffness-switch system is capable of converting vibration energy and realizing vibration reduction under a forced harmonic disturbance. The effects of disturbance frequency, disturbance amplitude and sampling frequency on the system performance are shown as well. A position feedback control-based switching law is further put forward and experimentally verified to improve the repositioning accuracy of the disturbed system.