Performance evaluation of a nonlinear energy sink with quasi-zero stiffness property for vertical vibration control

Abstract

The advantages of nonlinear energy sink (NES) have been proven to effectively reduce vibrations in the horizontal direction. The application of NES devices to suppress vertical vibration is still at an early stage. In this study, a new type of NES that works in the vertical direction, where disc springs and viscous dampers are utilized to connect an additional mass with the primary structure, is proposed. The NES device can provide a cubic restoring force characterized by the quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) property. Initially, the equations of motion of the primary structure supplemented with NES were established. Then, the force and displacement transmissibility curves were obtained via the steady-state analysis for the NES-controlled, tuned mass damper (TMD)-controlled, and uncontrolled systems. Analytical results revealed that the targeted energy transfer (TET) property of the NES can absorb the kinetic energy within the operating range without amplifying the response in the lower and higher frequency ranges. In contrast, TMD is more efficient within the operating range. Finally, a practical large-span floor structure was adopted to compare the operating performance of NES and TMD. External vibration includes track-induced vibration, vertical earthquake, and human-induced vibration. Numerical results show that the NES performs better than traditional TMD in controlling the vertical response. Moreover, the addition of a NES device will not potentially amplify the response on some occasions.