Study of a Controlled Piezoelectric Damper

In this work an original construction of a vibration damper controlled by means of a valve with a short time of operation lag is presented. The valve-controlling properties of the damper regulates the flow of fluid between the chambers of the damper and was constructed using piezoelectric actuators, whose characteristic feature is the possibility to change dimensions, e.g., length, under the influence of voltage. As a result, by changing voltage it is possible to control the throttle of the flow by changing the width of a gap, which influences a change of damping forces. Such a solution enables a quicker change of damping forces than in other kinds of controlled damper. Due to the obtained properties, the damper may be applied to reduce the vibrations of vehicles and machines that undergo quick-change loads. In the article, the results of experimental studies of the aforementioned damper are presented. Based on the results, dissipative characteristics were determined. Also, results of numerical studies comprising the development of a numerical model of a controlled piezoelectric damper are shown. Results of numerical studies, as well as experimental studies, are presented in the form of dissipative characteristics. Comparison of results of numerical and experimental studies confirms the possibility to apply this kind of construction in semi-active systems of vibration reduction of vehicles and machines.