Design of an Adaptable Tuned Vibration Absorber using Smart Materials

Vibrations are a physical consequence of motion that have the potential to break down the systems they affect. This can be alleviated using a vibration absorber, a device that uses a spring/mass/damper system to reduce the vibration experienced by the main body. This research is centered on leveraging the adaptability of smart materials to create a novel solution to common issues. Smart materials are generally defined as materials that have been designed to respond in a certain predictable way to an external stimulus. The fundamental question of this research is simple: can smart materials be used to create an adjustable tuned vibration absorber (TVA)? This work is important and valuable as it provides a potentially adaptable system, able to be adjusted to dampen vibrations for different objects of varying masses. TVAs are used in industry to reduce the resonant frequencies of power transmissions, engines, and buildings. The TVA designed in this research would operate at a smaller scale and therefore be more optimal for use in the automotive or similar industries. This research began with a literature review, then a base mass/spring vibration setup was characterized. A mass/spring/damper system using the smart material Electro-Rheological (ER) Fluid as its damper was then designed and is currently being tested as a vibration absorber. For context, ER Fluid is a thick liquid smart material that contains particles which align when exposed to an electric field, increasing stiffness. This stiffness change will allow the TVA to have an adaptable damping constant, which in a closed feedback control system would mean that the TVA could tune itself to reduce the resonant frequency of whatever object it is set on. An adjustable TVA based on ER fluid does not yet exist on the market, however there is some literature regarding the use of ER fluid in a vibration absorber. Reducing the magnitude of vibrations in objects is an unseen yet important task, and an adaptable TVA based on smart materials is a novel innovation in the field.

Discussion of Test Results:

•Fluid base viscosity is most likely too high, preventing TVA spring from freely vibrating

•Activating fluid would further increase stiffness, which would not affect result at this point

Next Steps:

•Dilute ER Fluid using silicone oil to reduce base inactive viscosity

•Develop closed-loop control for automatic tuning