Robust Targeted Energy Transfer with Asymmetric Nonlinear Energy Sinks Under Random Excitations

This study introduces an Asymmetric Nonlinear Energy Sink (ANES) to enhance robust Targeted Energy Transfer (TET) in vibration control. Traditional cubic Nonlinear Energy Sinks (NES) often struggle with varying excitation levels in random vibrations. The ANES integrates a cubic NES, extra inertia, and asymmetric stiffness components like a tension-only rope, two linear springs, and a viscous damper. The rope adds asymmetric stiffness by only applying tension force. This setup effectively absorbs vibrational energy across different levels of excitation, facilitating energy transfer from low-damped to high-damped modes. Numerical simulations demonstrate the ANES’s superior performance compared to traditional NES, supported by modal energy redistribution, Nonlinear Normal Modes (NNM) analysis, and Frequency-Energy Plots (FEP). These findings suggest that this type of ANES is a promising advancement for practical NES applications in vibration control.