The Virtual Mechanical System control law: the key to manipulating vibrational energy flows

As industries strive for sustainability, the use of lightweight flexible materials and complex designs to save energy also introduces non-linearities and vibrations. Furthermore, striving for fewer components translates to the need for underactuated control. To avoid invoking damage or sacrificing accuracy and speed, a revolutionary innovation of vibration control techniques is needed. For these reasons, a new active control law is developed: The Virtual Mechanical System (VMS) control law. Combining insights from the fields of nonlinear dynamics and control, energy can be efficiently transferred and vibrations in the host system are mitigated. The way energy transfer is realised is by exploiting non-linear phenomena. More specifically, Nonlinear Normal Modes (NNMs) exhibit energy redistribution properties, altering both frequency and spatial energy distribution. This transfer of vibration energy is aimed towards a virtual system or a passive vibration absorber. Combining active and passive vibration control strategies, called hybrid control, is particularly interesting for decreasing the energy needs of actuators. This project aims to create a novel vibration control framework for underactuated, nonlinear systems, and so, paves the way for more efficient and sustainable industrial practices.