Experimental study on rotational impact dampers

Integrating the benefits of rotational nonlinear energy sinks (NESs) and impact NESs while eliminating the negative effects of impacts, rotational impact dampers (RIDs) are proposed in this study. RIDs consist of multiple eccentric masses that rotate in the same horizontal plane about a common pivot, with impacts occurring between adjacent rotators to facilitate fast and effective energy dissipation. First, the development of the RID system is presented. Subsequently, experiments are conducted on a two-story frame structure under impulse excitation to validate the feasibility of RIDs. The impacts of the RIDs with two, three, and four rotators are identified and their control effectiveness is analyzed. The experimental results demonstrate that the RIDs can effectively attenuate the vibration of the structure, with the number of rotators being the main factor affecting the control capacity. With physical validation provided, this short communication highlights the great potential of RIDs as a viable solution for control problems involving different types of uncertainties.