BITS Pilani researcher part of international team developing mechanically intelligent vibration protection system
Pilani, Nov 4 (TNT): An international research team, including Prof. Hemant Sharma of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, has developed and experimentally demonstrated a new vibration protection system that can automatically adapt to changing conditions without external sensors, electronic controls or actuators.
The research, involving scientists from India, South Korea and China, introduces the concept of mechanical intelligence, in which adaptive behaviour is built directly into the mechanical structure, the Institute said in a release on Wednesday.
The findings have been published in the International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, with researchers from BITS Pilani, Seoul National University, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology and Shanghai Jiao Tong University contributing to the study.
The system is designed to address excessive vibrations in machines, vehicles, precision equipment and lightweight structures, which can affect operational accuracy, accelerate wear and damage critical components.
Unlike conventional passive vibration isolators designed for fixed operating conditions, the newly developed structure can automatically shift between two stable states when vibration conditions become unfavourable.
The researchers explained that when vibrations build up near resonance, the structure’s own motion and stored mechanical energy trigger a transition between states, changing its effective stiffness and resonant behaviour to reduce excessive vibration.
The team used computational design and optimisation to develop the system and validated its performance through static and dynamic experiments on a physical prototype at the laboratory of Prof. Jinkyu Yang at Seoul National University.
The experiments demonstrated that the structure could maintain two distinct stable states and switch automatically in response to changing vibration conditions without external sensing, control or power.
Prof. Hemant Sharma contributed to the research through conceptualisation, supervision and critical review and refinement of the manuscript.
The researchers said the approach could pave the way for simpler, more reliable and energy-efficient vibration protection systems, with potential applications in manufacturing, transportation, machinery and precision engineering equipment.
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