Design optimization of a single-mass impact damper

This research article presents a numerical approach to establish an optimal design methodology for a single-mass impact damper (SMID), which is a passive energy dissipation device with robust performance. Due to the nonlinear characteristics of SMID and a lack of analytical models, designing a single-mass impact damper with optimal combination of the parameters has been challenging. Furthermore, an uncontrolled mass of the SMID on a vibrating structure may lead to chaotic vibration responses. This study identifies a range of design parameters of the SMID to ensure non-chaotic responses and validates the optimal design combinations using an experimental prototype. The results show that a single-mass impact damper designed with the optimal combination of design parameters can provide better vibration damping and relatively steady response. This study also compares the performance of an optimized single-mass impact damper with an optimized tuned mass damper and finds that the single-mass impact damper can work more effectively than the tuned mass damper in damping free vibrations of a single-degree-of-freedom primary structure. Although the SMID cannot suppress forced vibration amplitude as effectively as a tuned mass damper (TMD) at resonance, it has the advantages of lower cost and easier installation than the TMD. Overall, this study provides a basis for the optimal design of a single-mass impact damper and resolves the issues related to design methodology and chaotic vibration response with a single-mass impact damper.