Numerical study of vibration suppression of a symmetric single-sided vibro-impact track nonlinear energy sink

Considering that the vibration suppression performance of the single-sided vibro-impact track nonlinear energy sink (SSVI track NES) is greatly affected by load direction, we propose a symmetric, single-sided vibro-impact track nonlinear energy sink (SSSVI track NES). Both smooth and non-smooth nonlinear restoring forces are produced when the mass is moving on the specific track with a single-sided impact surface. This nonlinear restoring force achieves the dissipation of energy in the system through dynamic coupling with the primary structure, thereby reducing the dynamic response of the structure. The equations of motion of a single degree of freedom oscillator with an SSSVI track NES are established. The influence of the parameters of the SSSVI track NES (mass, track shape) on vibration suppression performance is discussed through numerical simulations. Optimal NES mass and track shape are obtained and applied to a time domain and wavelet analysis. Energy transfer phenomena from a lower frequency vibration to a higher frequency vibration is observed. The effect of the SSSVI track NES design parameter differences on its performance are discussed. The results demonstrated that the optimized SSVI track NES is effective in suppressing the shock response of the structure, and is robust to the differences in design parameters. Copyright ©2021 Journal of Harbin Engineering University.