Conceptual Understanding of Mass and Stiffness Fixed Points of Discrete Vibrational Systems

The presence of mass and stiffness fixed points in the frequency responses of vibrational systems may greatly affect the design of these systems. In this paper, the physical reason for the occurrence of mass and stiffness fixed points and the relationship between them and the phenomenon of internal absorber are investigated. It is found that the frequencies at which mass and stiffness fixed points occur, represent eigenfrequencies of subsystems of the whole vibrational system. Furthermore, it is found that the mass and stiffness fixed points are strongly related with the phenomenon of internal absorbers.