The analysis of the orientation effect of non-linear flexible systems on performance of the pendulum absorber

In practical applications, many vibration absorbers are used to absorb oscillation of a structure, one of which is pendulum-type vibration absorbers. They are widely used in engineering applications where oscillations of a structure are constrained within a prescribed envelope. In this study, the primary structure consists of a flexible beam which has a single degree of freedom, and is subjected to a vertical sinusoidal base excitation. Non-linearity in the primary structure is due to large deflections. The rotation point of the pendulum-type absorber is attached to the tip of the primary structure. The primary structure and absorber together constitute a couple systems with two degrees of freedom. The primary objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of pendulum-type passive vibration absorber attached to a primary structure whose orientation varies. In this study, the orientation at which the absorber is effective is established, and the factors that affect performance of the absorber are determined. The results are in good agreement with the experimental ones given in the literature. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.