Dynamic Analysis of a Flexible Manipulator With Passive Constrained Layer Damping

Abstract

This paper studies the vibration behavior of a flexible manipulator with passive constrained layer damping (PCLD) treatment. The manipulator rotates in a vertical plane and carries an end mass. Due to the highly nonlinear and coupled characteristics of the beam with PCLD treatment, “relative description” method is used to define the motions of the manipulator system. Using Lagrange’s equation and Rayleigh-Ritz method, the dynamic model of the manipulator is obtained and its vibration response is analyzed in the time domain. By assuming finite element shape functions as the displacement shape functions and using the complex damping model for the visco-elastic material (VEM) layer, the number of degrees of freedom of the system or the model dimension is greatly reduced. Numerical simulations show that the VEM not only reduces the amplitude of the elastic deflection but also quickly attenuates the vibration to zero. Also, it is confirmed that the geometry and physical properties of the PCLD treatment have significant effects on the dynamic response of the manipulator.