Abstract Summary
Damping enhancement of slender beam-like structures continues be an underlying motive behind current interests of many engineering disciplines, including aerospace structures. In particular, with the increased focus surrounding High Aspect Ratio Wings (HARWs) owing to their potential in reducing induced drag, the suppression of related aeroelastic instabilities and detrimental responses continues to receive increasing attention. Such systems can potentially benefit from vibration control devices thoroughly studied since the early 20th century with the introduction of the classical tuned vibration absorber. However, the implementation of such discrete devices on lifting surfaces are often restricted by the continuum nature and geometrical constraints of these structures. The present study aims to introduce and investigate an enabling mechanism that allows such devices to be integrated with slender continuum structures such as HARWs. The hosting system in question consists of a tendon that is guided across a series of methodically located points placed eccentrically along the span of the continuum. The working principle of the mechanism relies of the induced axial activity of the tendon triggered as a result of the movement of the primary structure, where a localised device (Tuned Mass Dampers, Nonlinear energy sinks, Inerter-Dampers, etc) can be integrated with the tendon at a point where an aggregate of the movement is observed. The scope of the presented study revolves around the mechanics behind the idealisation of the guiding elements and the tendon. For instance, with guides comprising of pulleys, the combination of their rotational inertia and the finite axial stiffness of the tendon gives rise to a secondary system that exhibits its own (coupled) dynamics. Moreover, the influence of impeding effects at the guides, not limited to the imposed inertia, is likely to influence the effectiveness of the motion aggregation capability of the mechanism. The present study aims to assess the suitability of an inerto-viscous idealisation of the guiding elements, along with the finite stiffness of the tendon. In addition to this, evidence of interactional behaviour between the introduced tendon-guide system and the primary structure are explored, as a mean of comparing the interlinked modal characteristics between experiment and the idealised interpretation of a guide.
