Enhanced suppression of longitudinal vibration transmission in propulsion shaft system using nonlinear tuned mass damper inerter

This study proposes the use of a novel nonlinear tuned mass damper inerter device in vibration suppression of the ship propulsion shafting system and evaluates its performance. The device consists of an axial inerter and a pair of lateral inerters to create geometric nonlinearity. The system response subjected to propeller forces is determined by using the harmonic balance method with alternating-frequency-time technique and a numerical time-marching method. The force transmissibility and energy flow variables are employed to assess the performance of the device. The results show that the proposed device can reduce the peak force and energy transmission to the foundation while increase the energy dissipation within the device. Its use can lead to an improved vibration attenuation effect than the traditional mass-spring-damper device for low-frequency vibration. The configurations of the nonlinear inerter-based device can be adjusted to obtain an anti-peak at a resonance frequency of the original system, providing superior vibration suppression performance.