Active vibration isolation of a system with a distributed parameter isolator using absolute velocity feedback control

This paper is concerned with the active isolation of a system containing a distributed parameter isolator using absolute velocity feedback control. The main differences between this type of system and one with a massless isolator, is that there are isolator resonances. It is shown that the vibration at these resonance frequencies cannot be suppressed using a simple velocity feedback control strategy. Moreover, it is found that the isolator resonances can cause the control system to become unstable, if the isolated equipment is supported on a flexible base. A stability criterion based on the mode shapes of the system is presented. Two techniques to stabilise the system are investigated and compared. The first involves the addition of mass on the base structure, and the second involves an electronic lead compensator. Experimental results are presented to support the theoretical findings. It is shown that even if the instability due to the isolator resonances and flexibility of the base can be prevented, the instability due to the flexibility of the equipment remains a problem.