Experimental and Numerical Investigation of an Electromagnetic Impact Damper with Variable Mass

Abstract

For many years, researchers have investigated the particle impact damper from the perspective of its design parameters and their influence on dynamic behavior and energy dissipation — key aspects studied in applied and theoretical physics. Numerous constructions have been proposed in the literature, including designs enabling adaptive tuning of the damper's internal volume. This study presents the design, experimental investigation, and physical modeling of an adaptive electromagnetic particle impact damper intended for vibration suppression. The experimental setup consists of a kinematic exciter, a cantilever beam equipped with the electromagnetic particle impact damper at its free end, and a comprehensive measurement system. The damper contains metallic granules that dissipate mechanical energy through inelastic collisions during beam oscillations, illustrating fundamental concepts such as energy transfer, dissipation mechanisms, and nonlinear dynamic interactions. A key innovation is the integrated electromagnet, which allows for selective blocking of the granules, enabling real-time control of the damper's effective mass. This adaptive control approach directly addresses the interplay between mass distribution and dynamic response, which is central to understanding physical systems. The experimental investigation explored how varying the proportion of freely moving granules influences the vibration characteristics of the system. Four test cases were defined, ranging from complete immobilization to partial release of the granular mass. The results demonstrated that increasing the number of free particles significantly enhances damping performance and reduces vibration amplitudes, confirming the critical role of granular dynamics in energy dissipation. To further analyze the system behavior, a reduced four-degree-of-freedom numerical model incorporating soft contact theory was developed. This model captures the nonlinear interactions between the moving particles and the beam structure, providing deeper insights into complex dynamic phenomena governed by fundamental physical principles. Comparisons with experimental data confirmed the model's accuracy and validated the effectiveness of the electromagnetic particle impact damper as a tunable and efficient damping solution. The findings confirm the electromagnetic particle impact damper concept as an effective and adaptable vibration mitigation approach. The ability to dynamically control the damper's effective mass represents a significant advancement over traditional particle impact dampers, introducing new opportunities for active control in engineering systems. This work not only demonstrates practical engineering benefits but also contributes to the broader understanding of adaptive dynamic systems and energy dissipation.