Active Control of Vibration in a Beam

An experimental investigation of the active control of flexural waves in a thick beam terminated semi-anechoically at each end has yielded some interesting results. A single point force control actuator orientated normally to the beam axis and at various angles to the beam axis was used as the control force. The experimental work shed light upon the physical mechanisms involved in the active control of flexural waves and also demonstrated that 'spillover' of control energy into other wave types is difficult to avoid. Results obtained implied that when active control is applied to practical vibrating structures, it is necessary to consider control of all possible wave types.