Vibration attenuation in two-link flexible mechanical arms with periodic composite materials

Abstract

We introduce the periodic composite materials, so-called phononic crystals, to the flexible mechanical arms systems. Due to the transfer matrix method and the Bloch theorem, the theoretical solution of band structure of the two-link model is deduced and then verified by the frequency response by the finite element method. The influence of the included angle of arms to vibration characteristics is analyzed. The frequency response of the two-link flexible arms with/without phononic crystals is investigated. The results illustrate that, by using the periodic composite materials, some frequency ranges with strong attenuation can be obtained. This study provides a new way to eliminate vibrations in flexible mechanical arms.