Experimental and numerical Comparison of traditional spring DVA and shape memory alloy actuated DVA for fixed beam vibration control

Abstract

A desirable smart material that might be employed in dynamic vibration absorbers (DVA) as a stiffness adjustment element is shape memory alloy (SMA). This paper offers a numerical and experimental platform that examines the vibration of a stationary beam that has been operated by a SMA. In this study, a DVA is created using springs made of shape-memory alloy to eliminate vibration in a fixed beam. The system has a fixed beam secured by a C clamp. Real-time vibration was provided by the shaker with the help of a function generator. Results for the vibration's amplitude were recorded after the conventional spring with mass was mounted at a distance of 305.1 mm from the left end of the fixed beam. The SMA spring with mass was used in place of the conventional spring, and experiments were run at various frequencies. To record the results, the FFT and accelerometer were interfaced using Pulse software. The fixed beam with spring mass system is modelled in ANSYS Workbench R15.0 in accordance with the experimental setup. Over a range of frequencies, the results of a harmonic response analysis were compared. The experimental & analytical results are in good agreement when one SMA spring or two SMA springs connected in parallel or series are used to dampen the system effectively. The outcomes of this work can be utilised as a reference for designing DVA with a Nitinol spring as a stiffness tuning component in circumstances where smooth and continuous tuning of the absorber is required.