ADAPTIVE-PASSIVE ABSORBERS USING SHAPE-MEMORY ALLOYS

The adaptive-passive vibration absorber shows promise for combining the stability and low complexity of passive tuned absorbers with the robust performance of active vibration control schemes. Previous adaptive tuned vibration absorbers (ATVA) had been complex and bulky. Shape memory alloys (SMA), with their variable material properties, offer an alternative adaptive mechanism. Heating an SMA causes a change in the elastic modulus of the material. An ATVA using spring elements composed of three pairs of SMA wires and one pair of steel wires was constructed and tested. On–off actuation of the SMA elements created an ATVA with four discrete tuned frequencies. Characterization testing of the absorber showed variation of the natural frequency of the ATVA of approximately 15%. The ATVA was applied to a primary system and the frequency response of the system at various states of ATVA actuation was determined. Manual tuning of the ATVA actuation during a stepped-sine base excitation of the primary system showed a wider notch of attenuation than was possible with a non-adaptive absorber. Results of the tests indicate that an adaptive absorber incorporating SMA as a tuning element has potential as a simple, high-performance adaptive-passive technique for vibration control.