Analysis and design of efficient multiple-input multiple-output broadband active vibration control systems

Vibration phenomena can cause various problems ranging from reduced comfort to severe fatigue. Therefore, vibration control measures need to be taken into account from the early phases of structure's design. A promising approach to this problem is represented by active vibration control (AVC) systems. AVC guarantees high performance on different frequency ranges for several applications. Nevertheless, AVC systems require a constant energy source. Especially for systems composed of numerous actuators and sensors (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output), the required electrical power of the actuators can limit their applications or performance. Therefore, a smart and efficient design of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output AVC systems is needed. In this thesis, the analysis and design of a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) broadband AVC system composed of six electrodynamic inertial mass actuators applied on a six-cell laboratory truss structure is presented. The aims of this work are the analysis of the effects of various design aspects of MIMO AVC systems on the performance and the electrical power required by the actuators and a consequent optimised final design of the system.