Analytical Modelling of an Active Vibration Absorber for a Beam

Attenuation of mechanical vibrations is an ongoing field of research in engineering aiming at reducing damage and improving performance in the presence of dynamical forces. Different alternatives have been proposed over time; the active vibration absorber can be highlighted as an alternative which can absorb the vibration from system in real time. In this study, an active vibration absorber was modelled as an electromechanical device. It was applied to a cantilever beam, mathematically modelled as a continuous beam. A set of differential equations representing the dynamical behaviour of the cantilever beam and active vibration absorber was obtained and it was simulated in Matlab Simulink®. Results indicated that the active vibration absorber is able to significantly reduce the vibration amplitudes of a system, especially in resonance conditions. The analytical model and procedure developed here can easily spread to any more complex system.