Online Frequency Estimation on a Building-like Structure Using a Nonlinear Flexible Dynamic Vibration Absorber

The online frequency estimation of forced harmonic vibrations on a building-like structure, using a nonlinear flexible vibration absorber in a cantilever beam configuration, is addressed in this article. Algebraic formulae to compute online the harmonic excitation frequency on the nonlinear vibrating mechanical system using solely available measurement signals of position, velocity, or acceleration are presented. Fast algebraic frequency estimation can, thus, be implemented to tune online a semi-active dynamic vibration absorber to obtain a high attenuation level of undesirable vibrations affecting the main mechanical system. A semi-active vibration absorber can be tuned for application where variations of the excitation frequency can be expected. Adaptive vibration absorption for forced harmonic vibration suppression for operational scenarios with variable excitation frequency can be then performed. Analytical, numerical, and experimental results to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the operating frequency estimation, as well as the acceptable attenuation level achieved by the tunable flexible vibration absorber, are presented. The algebraic parametric estimation approach can be extended to add capabilities of variable frequency vibration suppression for several configurations of dynamic vibration absorbers.