Active isolation of a vibration source from a thin beam using a single active mount

When active control is used to reduce the vibration transmission through machine mounts into supporting structures, the vibratory power flow through the mounts is often used as the cost function to be minimized. This is because the mounts behave as vibration ''sources'' for the supporting structure and they have a finite number of degrees of freedom. To apply active control effectively to suspension systems, it is necessary to investigate the nature of the power flow from a vibrating machine to its supporting structure through the mounts. In this study the transmission of harmonic vibratory power flow from a vibrating rigid body into a thin support beam through a single isolating mount is investigated theoretically and experimentally, and the possibility of active control of the transmission of vibratory power is explored. Power flow resulting from moments as well as horizontal and vertical forces is considered. It is shown that over a wide frequency range, significant reduction in vibratory power flow can be achieved by using a control actuator that exerts a control force on the rigid body and support structure