Optimal Performance Comparison of Nonlinear Energy Sinks and Linear Tuned Mass Dampers

This paper studies a targeted energy transfer (TET) mechanism for a two-degree-of-freedom (TDOF) model in free vibration. The model comprises a primary linear system and a secondary system in the form of an energy sink which can be nonlinear. The free vibrations are considered subject to an impulsive excitation exerted on the primary system, leading to a nonzero initial velocity. The goal is to obtain the spring parameters in the nonlinear energy sink (NES) so as to maximize an energy dissipation measure (EDM) representing the percentage of impulsive energy that is absorbed and dissipated in the NES. A global optimization algorithm is used for this purpose. The optimal performance is assessed for the purely linear, linear-cubic, and purely cubic configurations of the spring connecting the primary and secondary systems. The corresponding results are compared with each other. The optimization process is performed for the EDM averaged over given ranges of the initial impulse and natural frequency in the primary system. It is shown that the type of the optimal configuration can vary depending on these ranges.

Impact Damage Detection in Composite Beams by Analysis of Non-Linearity under Pulse Excitation

To detect the presence of damage, many structural health monitoring techniques exploit the nonlinear features that typically affect the otherwise linear dynamic response of structural components with internal defects. One of them is the Scaling Subtraction Method (SSM), which evaluates nonlinear features of the response to a high-amplitude harmonic excitation by subtracting a scaled reference signal. Originally tested on granular materials, the SSM was shown to be effective for composite materials as well. However, the dependence of the technique efficiency on the testing frequency, usually selected among the natural frequencies of the system, may limit its application in practice. This paper investigates the feasibility of applying the SSM through a broadband impulsive excitation, which would avoid the need of a preliminary modal analysis and address the issue of the proper selection of the excitation frequency. A laminated composite beam was tested in intact and damaged conditions under both scaled harmonic excitations of different frequency and broadband impulsive signals of scaled amplitude. Two damage indicators working on the frequency domain were introduced. The results showed a good sensitivity of the SSM to the presence and level of impact damage in composite beams when applied through a broadband impulsive excitation.