<title>Use of piezoelectric devices to control snowboard vibrations</title>

Abstract

This paper explains how piezoelectric devices can be used to control vibrations in a snowboard. Furthermore the details of the approach, testing, design and analysis of a piezoelectric damper applied to a production snowboard are described here. The approach consisted of determining the principal modes of vibration of a snowboard during its operation (on-slope). This information was used to develop a finite element model of the structure. The finite element model was used to find the areas of higher strain energy where a piezoelectric device could be applied and be effective in reducing undesired vibrations. Several prototype piezoelectric dampers were built, applied to snowboards and tested on snow. The proper amount of damping was selected by the test riders, so that a configuration could be selected for production of the 1998 K2 Electra snowboard. The piezoelectric damper selected reduced the snowboard vibration by 75% at the mode to which it was tuned, allowing for a smoother ride and a more precise control of the snowboard in any kind of snow condition.

A survey of recent innovations in vibration damping and control using shunted piezoelectric transducers

“…Having estimated , or perhaps , the signal produced by the sensori-actuator can now be used for feedback. Several applications for this method have appeared throughout the literature (see, for example, [4], [11], [36], [44], [67], and [73]). In practice, however, there are a number factors that limit the performance of the sensori-actuator, the foremost being the choice of the reference capacitor , that is directly related to the size of piezoelectric capacitance .…”

“…Two admittances have been suggested that have favorable performances. These are (11) and (12) where in both cases . Interestingly, it can be proved that (11) and (12) are strictly positive real transfer functions [43], and hence, can be implemented using passive circuit components such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors.…”

“…These are (11) and (12) where in both cases . Interestingly, it can be proved that (11) and (12) are strictly positive real transfer functions [43], and hence, can be implemented using passive circuit components such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors. The task of synthesizing such a passive network, however, does not appear to be straightforward.…”

Design of piezoelectric shunt structures using admittance analysis

“…After Hagood & Flotow [1] and Holkamp [4] showed single/multi mode piezoelectric shunt mechanism, most researches have been concentrated on piezoelectric shunt circuit such as development of efficient shunt circuit, design of multi mode shunt circuit, and optimization of circuit parameters [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Recently, several studies showed that the locations of piezoelectric materials are important for specific target frequency and mode shape [13][14][15]. However, only mechanical characteristics of piezoelectric structures were considered.…”

A comparison of packaged piezoactuators for industrial applications

“…This technology provided the needed robustness, reliability, and ease of use to strain actuation, and was a key breakthrough enabling strain actuators to move out of the laboratory and into real-world industrial and commercial applications 7 . ACX packaged piezoceramic devices first reached the market in volume as vibration dampers in sporting goods applications in 1995 8,9,10 . Since then, these QuickPack ® strain actuators also have been used by manufacturers of automotive and medical products, as buzzer alerts and drivers for flat speakers.…”