Using an inerter‐based device for structural vibration suppression

Abstract

SUMMARYThis paper proposes the use of a novel type of passive vibration control system to reduce vibrations in civil engineering structures subject to base excitation. The new system is based on the inerter, a device that was initially developed for high‐performance suspensions in Formula 1 racing cars. The principal advantage of the inerter is that a high level of vibration isolation can be achieved with low amounts of added mass. This feature makes it an attractive potential alternative to traditional tuned mass dampers (TMDs). In this paper, the inerter system is modelled inside a multi‐storey building and is located on braces between adjacent storeys. Numerical results show that an excellent level of vibration reduction is achieved, potentially offering improvement over TMDs. The inerter‐based system is compared to a TMD system by using a range of base excitation inputs, including an earthquake signal, to demonstrate how the performance could potentially be improved by using an inerter instead of a TMD. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Resonant passive–active vibration absorber with integrated force feedback control

“…3(a) the hybrid unit is realized actively with H q (ω) = 0 and It follows from the additive format in (6), also illustrated in Fig. 2(b), that a passive-active form of the hybrid unit can be obtained by simply combining the passive and active elements in H q (ω) and G q (ω) to form the sum H q (ω) + G q (ω) in (6). Figure 3(c) shows a passive-active hybrid unit, where the inertia contribution −ω 2 m q is introduced by a mechanical inerter with inertance m q , while stiffness and damping in this case are realized actively by the first order integration filter G q (ω) = iωc q + k q .…”

“…This explicit parameter calibration is also directly applicable for the tuned inerter damper considered in [6], with optimal absorber location being the only difference to the tuned mass damper [25]. For the pure passive absorber the inertia in H q (ω) = −ω 2 m q is realized by a mechanical inerter element, while for the active realization the control equation G q (ω) = −ω 2 m q contains a double integration of the measured absorber force, which might be sensible to actuator saturation from low-frequency sensor input [29].…”

“…An inertia-based absorber equivalent to a tuned mass or inerter damper [1,2,6] and a stiffnessbased absorber similar to that of piezoelectric RL shunt damping [9,10]. Numerical examples demonstrate the efficiency of the two resonant absorber formats when compared to the optimally tuned viscous damper.…”

Performance Analysis of Cables with Attached Tuned-Inerter-Dampers

“…The TID, a system comprising of a spring-inerter-damper system, was introduced by the authors in [10]. Its layout is similar to that of a passive TMD, where the mass element was replaced by an inerter.…”

“…As shown in [10], in case of multi-storey structures, the TID must be connected between the first floor and the ground. Similarly, when installed on cables, the TID is connected between the cable and the bridge deck.…”