Abstract
This paper describes vibrational control and stability of a planar, horizontal 2-link mechanism using translational control of the base pivot. The system is a 3-DOF two-link mechanism that is subject to torsional damping, torsional stiffness, and is moving on a horizontal plane. The goal is to drive the averaged dynamics of the system to a desired configuration using a high-frequency, high-amplitude force applied at the base pivot. The desired configuration is achieved by applying an amplitude and angle of the input determined using the averaged dynamics of the system. We find the range of stable configurations that can be achieved by the system by changing the amplitude of the oscillations for a fixed input angle and oscillation frequency. The effects of varying the physical parameters on the achievable stable configurations are studied. Stability analysis of the system is performed using two methods: the averaged dynamics and averaged potential.