Time Varying Passive Vibration Absorption for Large Flexible Structures Equipped with Few Inertial Reaction Devices

A time varying extension of the passive vibration absorber is described. Lyapunov stability theory is used to show that the extended passive vibration absorber possesses unconditional closed loop stability, as in the case of the standard mass - spring - damper passive vibration absorber. Unlike the standard absorber, the extended absorber uses a switching scheme to target each mode directly. Computer simulations and experimental work on two mode structures are given, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the extended absorber.