Resetting virtual absorbers for vibration control

Dynamic vibration absorbers are passive devices that have the appealing quality that, once properly designed, built, and installed, they generally operate without further attention or energy input. However, for additional flexibility, virtual absorbers have been introduced. A virtual absorber emulates the effect of a physical absorber by sensing the motion of the primary structure, utilizing a dynamic compensator to simulate the motion that a physical absorber would undergo, and computing and applying the reaction force that the physical absorber would apply to the primary structure. The computed reaction force is then implemented by means of a suitable actuator. Thus, the implementation of a virtual absorber requires the availability of sensors and actuators as well as processors and power supplies. One advantage of virtual absorbers over passive absorbers is that the parameters of the virtual absorber can be adjusted online