Trapping of vibration energy into a set of resonators: Theory and application to aerospace structures

This paper presents the theory of a novel mechanism of energy absorption and induced damping in structural systems and its application to aerospace industry. The underlying principles of the physical phenomena have been addressed in several earlier publications, which focused on prototypical systems of absorbers that consist of a set of single-degree-of-freedom resonators. This paper generalizes those theoretical developments to the case of a cluster of beams attached to a continuous primary structure, to develop predictive methods for the expected performance of this new type of absorber, with particular emphasis on its optimal design. An embodiment of the conceived device is illustrated for an aerospace structure, a satellite, with the purpose of reducing the vibration of the electronic components on board during lift-off. Experimental results illustrate the feasibility and the attractiveness of this new absorption technique.

► Theory and practice of a new damping mechanism is investigated.
► It is shown how a set of conservative resonators can produce a damping effect.
► On this basis, a general procedure for special dampers design is outlined.
► Experiments on a built up damper prototype are performed.
► The results show a new technology for vibration control is potentially disclosed.