A nonlinear tunable piezoelectric resonant shunt using a bilinear component: theory and experiment

Abstract

In this article, we propose a new concept for tuning a resonant piezoelectric shunt absorber thanks to the use of a nonsmooth electronic component. It consists in adding a voltage source in the resonant shunt circuit, which is a bilinear function of the voltage across the piezoelectric patch. The main advantage is the ability to change the electrical resonance frequency with the bilinear component gain, enabling a tuning as well as a possible reduction in the required inductance value. Furthermore, because of the intrinsic nonlinear nature of the bilinear component, a multi-harmonic response is at hand, leading to a nonlinear coupling between the mechanical and electrical modes. Two particular tunings between the electrical and the mechanical resonance frequencies are tested. The first one is one-to-one, for which the electrical resonance is tuned close to the mechanical one. It is proved to be similar to a classical linear resonant shunt, with the additional tuning ability. The second case consists in tuning the electrical circuit at half the mechanical resonance, leading to a two-to-one (2:1) internal resonance. The obtained response is also found to be similar to a classical resonant shunt near the main resonance. In either case, the shunt performances are analytically and numerically studied, leading to optimal values of the design parameters as well as an estimation of the amplitude reduction provided by the shunt. Finally, experimental validation is proposed, targeting the damping of the twisting mode of a hydrofoil structure, in which the bilinear component is realized with a diode.