VIBRATION REDUCTION BY TUNED MASS DAMPERS INSIDE CAVITIES OF TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZED LATTICE STRUCTURES

Abstract

AbstractTuned mass dampers may be used to improve vibrational behavior of structures. However, they require space to move. This paper presents an approach to incorporate tuned mass dampers into a lightweight-optimized structure without extra space requirement. It is based on (1) topology optimization (TopOpt) with unit cells and (2) vibration reduction with multiple tuned mass dampers (m-TMD) within the unit cells. The topology optimization is performed with a physics-informed penalty factor, unique to the chosen unit cell. Subsequently, the weight optimal density distribution is realized by populating the design domain with unit cells of ten different densities. To reduce the induced vibration, m-TMDs are placed inside the cavities of the unit cells in the grey scale regions. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated for the design of a 2-segment robot arm. The resulting unit cell robotic arm (UC-Arm) is 3.6% lighter than the reference model, maintains the same static performance, and shows a 60% smaller dynamic displacement in the observed frequency range. No extra space is required for the motion of the m-TMD.