Abstract Summary
Recently, researchers have proposed an innovative negative stiffness-based vibration control concept, namely the KDamper absorber. The envisaged mechanism comprises a combination of appropriate stiffness, damping and mass elements, including a negative stiffness element. Previous studies have formulated the mathematical framework of the system, as well as design and optimization algorithms. These take into consideration the application of interest and geo-metrical and manufacturing limitations, regarding the vibration control components, including the realization of the negative stiffness mechanics. The KDamper has been numerically and analytically implemented as a vibration control concept for seismic protection of bridges, buildings as well as wind turbines and noise mitigation panels, while results indicated its beneficial effect towards vibration attenuation. For the first time , an experimental set-up of the proposed mechanism is designed by adopting an optimization procedure and tested under horizontal harmonic and seismic shaking. Results highlight the vibration control properties of the pro-posed system and validate previous numerical and analytical studies. The experimental device serves as a proof of concept of the KDamper absorber and showcases its advantages as well as application limitations that should be considered in future research.
