Structural Vibration Control Using Magnetostrictive Actuators

Vibrations can lead to excessive deflections and catastrophic failures on machines and structures. Therefore, it is important to control the structural vibrations to improve efficiency and profitably in several industrial applications including oil and gas, robotics and automation, manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, etc. The control techniques developed in the literature can be grouped into two main categories: passive control techniques and active control techniques. Introducing a passive power-dissipation mechanism by means of adding dashpots or viscoelastic materials can be a solution for some cases. Their primary advantage is simplicity. However, the effectiveness of a passive vibration controller may deteriorate drastically for varying design and operational conditions. On the other hand, active controllers are significantly more versatile and smaller than their passive counterparts. Active vibration control techniques adopt an entirely different approach than that of passive techniques. An active controller senses the response, generates and imposes the required corrective forces using actuators. In this research, we propose to design, develop and test an active vibration mitigation system for structural vibration control using linear actuators. A laboratory prototype will be built. Numerical investigations and experimental investigations will be performed on a flexible structure model by implementing linear actuators. Effectiveness for the vibration control techniques will be investigated together with passive and semi-active methods. In addition, an industrial application will be sought in Oman to test and apply our project for the benefit of local industries.

Vibrations can lead to excessive deflections and catastrophic failures on machines and structures. Therefore, it is important to control the structural vibrations to improve efficiency and profitably in several industrial applications including oil and gas, robotics and automation, manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, etc. The control techniques developed in the literature can be grouped into two main categories: passive control techniques and active control techniques. Introducing a passive power-dissipation mechanism by means of adding dashpots or viscoelastic materials can be a solution for some cases. Their primary advantage is simplicity. However, the effectiveness of a passive vibration controller may deteriorate drastically for varying design and operational conditions. On the other hand, active controllers are significantly more versatile and smaller than their passive counterparts. Active vibration control techniques adopt an entirely different approach than that of passive techniques. An active controller senses the response, generates and imposes the required corrective forces using actuators. In this research, we propose to design, develop and test an active vibration mitigation system for structural vibration control using linear actuators. A laboratory prototype will be built. Numerical investigations and experimental investigations will be performed on a flexible structure model by implementing linear actuators. Effectiveness for the vibration control techniques will be investigated together with passive and semi-active methods. In addition, an industrial application will be sought in Oman to test and apply our project for the benefit of local industries.