A Sensitivity Study on Optimum Delayed Feedback Vibration Absorber

A sensitivity analysis is presented for a novel tuned vibration absorber. The active tuning of the absorber is achieved using partial state feedback with a controlled time delay. The final structure, which is named Delayed Feedback Vibration Absorber (DFVA), is optimized to yield minimum $Mpeak$ of the primary system involved for a given wide band of excitation frequencies. The optimization is performed over the absorber’s structural properties and the feedback control parameters. An optimal tuning over optimally designed passive absorber is conducted first, and separately a collective optimization over both the absorber structure and the control is studied. The assurance of the stability of the time-delayed system, which forms a critical constraint on the optimization, is also discussed. Regardless of the nature of the optimal operation, the parametric variations in the structure can influence the vibration absorption performance significantly. This concern is addressed via a sensitivity analysis. Primarily, the variations on the absorber stiffness and damping properties are studied. The findings of this effort provide tools for determining the acceptable tolerance limits of the absorber properties. [S0022-0434(00)02202-4]