Experimental validation of a switchable oscillator array

This presentation will discuss an experimental validation of a switchable oscillator array that can be used to absorb energy from a resonant system. The individual elements of the oscillator array are composed of thin piezocomponents that vibrate as cantilevers. Each piezocomponent is designed to have a fundamental frequency, independent of the other elements, forming a band around the primary resonance of the host structure. The system is switched by electrically shunting the individual piezocomponents, lowering the stiffness of the cantilever, which has a significant effect on the energy transfer into the oscillator array and, hence, its ability to damp the motion of the host structure. Modeling in MATLAB and COMSOL is used in the design to predict the performance of the specified system used in the experiment, as well as larger systems with more than one resonance.