Development of a dual-mode inertial shear actuator for active vibration control of gear transmission systems

In this paper, a new inertial mass actuator concept is presented for an active vibration control system. The actuator comprises two shear actuators and an inertial mass. The primary objective of the proposed actuator is to mitigate the vibration levels associated with the high-frequency local bending modes, present in the housing of gear transmission systems. Additionally, the actuator is constructed to be integrated into the gearbox housing. The actuator targets the first and second local deflection modes at the critical vibrating points of the gearbox housing. Moreover, the new actuator is designed to be energy efficient due to its low electrical capacitance. The concept of the proposed inertial mass shear actuator is introduced and a model is built to test the effectiveness of the active vibration control system. The concept is tested on a basic plate structure that has properties similar to the housing of the transmission system, and the developed actuator was able to reduce the vibration levels significantly. Approximately 36 dB reduction is achieved at steady state when targeting the first bending mode and approximately 41 dB is achieved at steady state by targeting the second bending mode.