Energy Recovering in Active Vibration Isolation System — Results of Experimental Research

Studies of systems with energy regeneration have been carried out for years, because they primarily cover the assemblies with electrodynamic actuators. This paper addresses the issue of active reduction of mechanical vibration using an electrohydraulic actuator. The testing procedure aims to assess the potential use of those assemblies in a different frequency band and force range than in electrodynamic actuators. The paper explains the operating principle of the system, and the findings of laboratory tests are presented. The tested vibration reducing system is the physical model of a 2 degree-of-freedom (DOF) suspension. An initial analysis has been conducted to explore the potential use of the energy produced by the vibration of unsprung mass in the first degree of the suspension system, for power supply to the active component incorporated in the second suspension degree. The energy recuperated from the first suspension DOF is transferred by a dedicated hydraulic system and stored in an accumulator. Results of the experiments revealed that the mechanical parameters of the system can be selected in such a way that for specific interfering signals the accumulated energy should be at least equal to the energy used up by the system.