Dynamics and control of an active pendulum system

• Presents the new type of an active suspension consist of MR damper and SMA spring.
• The influence of MR damper and SMA spring on absorption effect is presented.
• The numerical results and their stability are analyzed by continuation method and verified by experiment.
• The smart elements can be used to dynamics control.

The work focuses on autoparametric vibrations of system composed of a non-linear oscillator with an attached pendulum. A combination of semi-active damper together with a non-linear spring mounted in the suspension of system is proposed. The spring is made from a shape memory alloy (SMA) while damping is realized through a magnetorheological (MR) damper. The MR damper is used for controlling damping of the system, SMA spring is used to change system׳s stiffness. The system is solved numerically and verified experimentally on a custom made experimental rig. Specifically, non-linear resonances are investigated, and their influence on the system dynamics and absorption effect.