Analytical and Experimental Investigation into the Vibration Response of a Beam Excited by a Magnetostrictive Actuator

Abstract

Magnetostrictive actuators have great potential for the active control of structural vibration, as they can deliver a large control force to excite heavy structures. However, their nonlinear properties have always been an obstacle to their application in control system design. Identification of the nonlinear model of the actuator is necessary for compensation of the control path. This paper reports an analytical and experimental study of the vibration of a beam structure excited by a magnetostrictive actuator. The analytical results explain the harmonic components in the current and vibration when the actuator is excited by a single-frequency voltage. The experimental results support this explanation and reveal the nonlinear characteristics of the system in the frequency domain.