The Rayleigh-van der Pol oscillator on linear multibody systems

In nature many interactions of different oscillatory systems can be described by the phenomenon of synchronization. This phenomenon can be widely used for engineering applications. In this contribution, the synchronization between a self-sustained oscillator and linear multibody systems with harmonic force excitation is used successfully to damp unwanted vibrations of the host structure and additionally to harvest energy from the load. To this end, the parameters of the Rayleigh-van der Pol oscillator are adjusted to a given harmonic base excitation in such a way that the response is harmonic as well. Thereby the amplitude of the response and the phase-shift between the excitation and the oscillator response remain free. Afterwards the oscillator is attached to a forced multibody system and the amplitude and phase-shift are adjusted for the tasks of vibration absorption and energy harvesting.