Vibration damping using CCII-based inductance simulators

In this work we present an application of CCII-based active inductance simulators to mechanical vibration damping. The oscillation amplitude of a metallic beam, near some resonant frequencies, can be reduced by converting mechanical energy into electrical energy through a piezoelectric transducer bonded to the beam. An electric circuit, made up of the piezoelectric transducer, a resistance and an inductance, accomplishes the task of dissipating energy. To this end the natural frequency of the circuit should be close to the natural frequency of interest of the mechanical system. The high value requested for the inductance (thousands of Henry) can be achieved only through an inductance simulator circuit. In the literature, circuit implementations of inductance simulators are typically based on amplifiers, like Antoniou's circuit. In this paper we make use of second generation current conveyors (CCIIs), which allow to obtain both grounded and floating equivalent inductances working within a regulated frequency range of 3-4 decades. The solutions proposed in this work allow the implementation of simple circuits, with special symmetries, also suitable for integrated applications. The effectiveness of traditional inductance simulators and CCII-based simulators is discussed, comparing the responses of an experimental mechanical-electrical system with different circuit implementations.