Modal self-excitation in a class of mechanical systems by nonlinear displacement feedback

Abstract

Many devices and processes utilize self-excited oscillation to enhance performance. Recently, much research work has been devoted to the induction of self-excited oscillation in mechanical systems by nonlinear feedback. The present paper investigates the efficacy of a displacement feedback technique in generating self-excited oscillation at the desired mode(s) in a multiple degrees-of-freedom mechanical system. The controller couples the system with a bank of second-order filters and generates the required control force as a nonlinear function of the filter output. The describing function method theoretically explores the dynamics of the system with the control law. The control cost of the controller is studied for the proper choice of the filter parameters. The analytical results are substantiated by the numerical simulation results. The present study reveals that the proposed control laws, if used in an appropriate way, can generate self-excited oscillation in the system at the desired mode(s).