Abstract
Dynamic vibration absorbers are frequently used to reduce and control excessive vibration in a wide number of applications such as bridges, engines and turbines. The premise of the vibration absorber is to transfer energy from the vibration source to the absorber mass by matching the frequency of the vibration source and excitation frequency of the absorber. However, as vibration in dynamic structures is highly variable, this study examines a variable dynamic vibration absorber where the system vibration can be tuned using an electromagnetic absorber placed between two permanent neodymium magnets. The absorber is tested onboard the fairing of a sounding rocket as part of the ARLISS Extreme 2014 program in Nevada, USA. This paper presents history and theory of variable vibration absorbers, system calculations, design and experimental results from the rocket flight.
