Optimal design of DVA-beam system by simultaneously optimizing DVA position, mass, damping and stiffness using Particle Swarm optimization

Using Dynamic Vibration Absorber (DVA) to suppress the vibration of slender structure is promising for its reliable, efficiency and low cost. The main purpose of this study is to suppress the beam vibration by simultaneously optimizing DVA position, mass, damping and stiffness of a DVA-beam system. The motion equations of the DVA-beam system are derived first using the Rayleigh-Ritz method and Lagrange’s equation. Then the Particle Swarm Optimization is then applied to seek the DVA optimal parameters. In which the objective is to minimize the RMS value of the beam tip deflection in a specific time domain. The PSO performance is investigated in three kinds of beam load conditions, that is free vibration, beam subjected to pulse excitation and harmonic excitation. It is observed that in these optimizations the objective function converges quickly. Based on the optimal DVA parameters, the dynamic responses of the optimal DVA-beam system are analyzed and compared with those of bare beam. The results demonstrate that the optimal designed DVA can effectively suppress the beam vibration.