Fundamental insight on the performance of a nonlinear tuned mass damper

To try and enhance the performance of a tuned mass damper, nonlinear stiffness can be introduced to good use. In this paper, an investigation is performed on the characteristics of a nonlinear tuned mass damper when attached to a linear oscillator. The whole system is modelled as a two degree-of-freedom system with cubic stiffness nonlinearity, and the effect of the nonlinearity and mass ratio of the attachment is investigated for both a softening and a hardening stiffness characteristics, using an analytical formulation. The corresponding linear case is presented as a benchmark, and the main critical issues are discussed. Depending on the frequency to which the vibration reduction is desired, recommendations are highlighted for proper tuning and parameters selection.