Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

An experimental and modelling study of the properties of a prototype layered beam with a core made of a non-Newtonian sand mixture is presented. The non-typical dilatant sand was covered with an elastic envelope that restricted its movement, which allowed us to pressurise the grains by evacuating the air from within the cover. By applying controlled underpressure, the compressed sand grains become jammed, which resulted in an increased stiffness and damping. This gives the possibility to attenuate vibrations of a cantilever in an adaptive manner. The experiment was performed for free vibrations and prescribed sinusoidal base motion, to demonstrate the possibility of tuning material parameters in a vast range. The experimental amplitude, frequency and damping capacity of the kinetic sand are discussed. An analytical model is proposed to verify how many parameters are necessary to describe the material behaviour. Based on the experimental results, a parameter identification of a custom rheological model is performed and practical simplifications reducing complexity of the problem are elaborated. The performed parameter identification is indispensable for the further development of potential control strategies for effective vibration abatement of dynamic systems using such types of alternative smart materials.

Granular material,Damping,Dilatant sand,Identification,Control

This paper presents an efficient parallel computing strategy to solve large-scale structural vibration problems. The proposed approach utilises a novel direct method that operates using simplex-shaped space-time finite elements and allows for the direct decoupling of variables during the assembly of global matrices. The method uses consistent stiffness, inertia and damping matrices and deals with non-symmetric matrices. One significant advantage of this approach is that the computational cost remains unaffected by the bandwidth of the matrix in the traditional sense because only non-zero coefficients are retained. The speed of computations demonstrates a noticeable increase as the number of nodes and the problem's dimensionality grow. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the parallel space-time approach, a comparison with a sequentially executed code was conducted. The results indicate that the proposed method enables calculations at least 20 times faster than those achieved using the classical finite element method. Furthermore, the parallelisation algorithm was successfully implemented to solve a dynamics problem involving a large-scale, three-dimensional railway structure subjected to a moving load. Remarkably, the problem was solved in a reasonable amount of time using a relatively low-cost personal computer.

Space-time, Finite element, Direct decoupling, Vibration, Moving load, Parallel algorithm

In this paper, we address the numerical aspects and implementation of a nonlinear viscoplastic model of the mechanical behaviour of brain tissue to simulate the dynamic responses related to impact loads which may cause traumatic injury. Among the various viscoelastic models available, we deliberately considered modifying the Norton–Hoff model in order to introduce non-typical viscoplastic softening behaviour that imitates a brain’s response just several milliseconds after a rapid impact. We describe the discretisation and three dimensional implementation of the model, with the aim of obtaining accurate numerical results in a reasonable computational time. Due to the large scale and complexity of the problem, a parallel computation technique, using a space–time finite element method, was used to facilitate the computation boost. It is proven that, after calibrating, the introduced viscoplastic-softening model is better suited for modelling brain tissue behaviour for the specific case of rapid impact loading rather than the commonly used viscoelastic models

brain biomechanics, brain injury, mechanical properties of brain tissue, viscoplastic materials, numerical modelling, finite element method (FEM), dynamic response, acceleration, space–time FEM

A container partially filled with loose plastic granules was attached to the shovel of the snowboard to suppress large-amplitude lateral vibrations by dissipating energy through non-conservative multi-granule interactions. A custom laboratory stand allowed to evaluate the performance using a full-scale snowboard deck. The response of the system with a prototype granular dissipator was measured for free lateral vibrations of the initially deflected board and under prescribed sinusoidal base motion. The damping characteristics for different fill ratios of the container were obtained using a direct method of nonparametric identification. The applied Hilbert–Huang transform-based vibration analysis method gave more insight into the board’s damping performance than the logarithmic decrement analysis. The results show that using the granular dissipator with a predestined number of granules increases the damping capacity at large amplitudes but is less effective at small amplitudes. At best, the damping factor was 70% higher when the granular dissipator was used than when the board was damped only intrinsically.

Vibration, Damping, Granular material, Dissipation, Hilbert transform, Bending

Due to the continuous deformations and irregularities of the surface of snow, alpine skis exhibit dynamic excitation, leading to drastic vibrations and decreased manoeuvrability. Therefore, attenuating these unwanted vibrations, while ensuring that the ski experience is not compromised, is an important challenge. The possibility of using granular material in a damping device is studied in this paper. A container that was partially filled with loose granules was fixed at the tip of an alpine ski to suppress vibrations by dissipating energy through collisions. The performance was verified experimentally by studying the transient response of a ski mounted in a horizontal cantilever orientation. Moreover, on-snow tests were performed. Different numbers of plastic granules were used as a dissipating material. To identify the nonlinear damping characteristics of the system, a Hilbert transform was used. In the laboratory test, the displacement amplitude decay was up to 16 percentage points higher when a granular dissipator was attached to the ski than without the damper. During field testing, acceleration amplitudes were 9% lower compared to the ski without the dissipator. This solution could possibly be adapted to other boardsports on a wide variety of terrain, including ground, water and snow.

vibration damping, alpine ski, granular material, Hilbert transform, bending beam

We consider a theoretical analysis and experimental test of a sandwich beam, with a core layer made of controllable material that can change its properties over time. We show that this dynamically excited beam can be sequentially controlled to obtain higher amplitude attenuation and resistance to the amplitude growth in resonant ranges than when the smart beam parameters are constant over time. Numerical simulations were performed to study the possibility of shifting beam vibration frequency towards ranges distant from resonance. An experimental study on a layered beam consisting of two steel bars with a pneumatically controlled core made of pressurized granular material was considered. A simplified control was performed to detune the beam from the resonance frequencies and reduce the vibrations by 30% in simulations and 10% in experiment.

smart material, granular structures, structural control, semi-active control, layered beam

The paper deals with a control method for semi-active damping of a double beam system with a smart granular structure placed in a thin silicone envelope. The damping properties of the system are controlled pneumatically, by subjecting the granular material to underpressure at particular moments. A mathematical model of the layered beam with a granular damping structure is represented by the two degrees of freedom, modified Kelvin–Voigt model of two masses, a spring with controllable stiffness, and a viscous damper with a variable damping coefficient. The optimal control problem is posed, using the concept of switching of the parameters to increase the efficiency of suppressing the displacement׳s amplitude. The resulting control strategy was verified experimentally for free vibrations of a cantilever system. The research proved that the appropriate, periodic switching of the properties of the considered structure enables reducing the vibration more effectively than if the material is treated passively.

Granular materials, Smart materials, Adaptive control, Vibration damping

In this paper, a control method to stabilize the vibration of adjacent structures is presented. The control is realized by changes of the stiffness parameters of the structure׳s couplers. A pulse excitation applied to the coupled adjacent beams is imposed as the kinematic excitation. For such a representation, the designed control law provides the best rate of energy dissipation. By means of a stability analysis, the performance in different structural settings is studied. The efficiency of the proposed strategy is examined via numerical simulations. In terms of the assumed energy metric, the controlled structure outperforms its passively damped equivalent by over 50 percent. The functionality of the proposed control strategy should attract the attention of practising engineers who seek solutions to upgrade existing damping systems.

vibration, damping, smart materials, control, semi-active

A novel type of pneumatic device filled with granular material is proposed in the implementation of a switched control strategy to stabilize the vibration of slender structures. The analytically obtained control law for the airtight, elastic, granular coupler is implemented in a test structure with a relay-type control logic. In the experiment, the deformable granular coupler semi-actively damps an initially deflected pair of adjacent, aluminum beams. Two cases of initial excitation are considered, showing an improvement of up to 33 percent in vibration abatement efficiency compared to the passive case. Although this semi-active device is conceptually simple, its ease of operation and low cost should attract the attention of engineers who seek solutions that can be used to build new structures and upgrade existing ones.

A control method to stabilize vibration of a double cantilever system with a set of smart damping blocks is designed and numerically evaluated. The externally controlled magnetorheological sheared elastomer damping block is considered, but other smart materials can be used as well. The robust bang-bang control law for stabilization the bilinear system is elaborated. The key feature of the closed loop controller is the efficiency for different types of initial excitement. By employing the finite element model, the performance of the controller is validated for strong wind blow load and concentrated impact excitement of the particular point of one of the beams. For each of the excitations, the closed loop control outperforms the optimal passive damping case by over 27% for the considered energy metric.

The paper deals with the semi-active control of vibrations of structural elements. Elastomer composites with ferromagnetic particles that act as magnetorheological fluids are used. The damping coefficient and the shear modulus of the elastomer increases when it is exposed to an electro-magnetic field. The control of this process in time allows us to reduce vibrations more effectively than if the elastomer is permanently exposed to a magnetic field.

First the analytical solution for the vibrations of a sandwich beam filled with an elastomer is given. Then the control problem is defined and applied to the analytical formula. The numerical solution of the minimization problem results in a periodic, perfectly rectangular control function if free vibrations are considered. Such a temporarily acting magnetic field is more efficient than a constantly acting one. The surplus reaches 20–50% or more, depending on the filling ratio of the elastomer. The resulting control was verified experimentally in the vibrations of a cantilever sandwich beam.

The proposed semi-active control can be directly applied to engineering vibrating structural elements, for example helicopter rotors, aircraft wings, pads under machines, and vehicles.

Semi-active control, Beam vibration, Magnetorheological elastomer, Sandwich beam, Damping

An experimental study of the properties of a layered beam partially treated with a damping element based on a granular material is presented. The beam structure comprises two aluminium face strips connected at the tip by a hermetic, elastic envelope, filled with bulk granules. Changing the underpressure value inside the airtight envelope allows variation of the mechanical properties of such a complex system, like stiffness or damping coefficients. Four types of granules, different in size, shape, and material, were examined to find the most promising one. A detailed discussion of the experimental amplitude, frequency, and damping capacity of the cantilever is given. The Zener, Kelvin–Voigt, and classic Maxwell models were employed for modelling and parameter identification. The range of applicability and limitations of the proposed solution has been given, as well as the benefits from the application.

Granular materials, smart materials, vibrations

A semi-active control of structural vibrations is presented as an efficient method of damping. We consider structures subjected to a load applied in stationary points or to a moving load. We claim that the periodically switched magnetorheological actuators, controlled dampers, or elastic envelopes filled with granular materials subjected to controlled underpressure, give a more efficient vibration reduction than a permanently activated ones. In our work we show the efficiency of such a control strategy applied to a beams under moving inertial load, cantilevers and rotating shaft. The mathematical analysis allowed as to propose the particular control strategy. The finite element simulation, together with the solution for the control problem, proved that the damping devices should act only for a short period of each cycle of vibration. The control function depends on the type of the structure, excitation and the type of vibrations. The efficiency of the concept was proved in the experimental tests. The considered structures exhibit the reduction of amplitudes at the range 10-40% in the periodically controlled case, in comparison to the constant damping.

Mechanical vibrations, semi-active control, smart materials