Utilizing the synchronization phenomenon to enhance the effectiveness of a friction damper in attenuating the vibrations of a system of two cantilever beams

The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of frictional damping in reducing the amplitude of oscillation in a system of coupled cantilever beams. Both experimental and numerical analysis are performed. Mathematical models were developed to theoretically analyze the effect of frictional damping on the vibration characteristics of the beams. The synchronization behavior of the coupled beam, determined by the Pearson time correlation coefficient, is used to investigate the effectiveness of frictional damping for different mass ratios, normal loads, and position of the friction damper. The novelty of this work lies in the use of synchronization phenomenon to ascertain system parameters which may result in enhanced attenuation of vibration. The aim is to get lower values of correlation coefficient to disrupt the in-phase synchronization between the two beams, hence improving the reduction of amplitude of oscillation at resonance peaks. The optimum damper position for reduced amplitude was found to be around (1/3)rd of the beam’s length.