Simulation and testing of a 6-story structure incorporating a coupled two mass nonlinear energy sink

The nonlinear energy sink (NES) is a passive device used to rapidly direct energy into higher modes of vibration and locally dissipate a significant portion of the impulsive shock energy induced in the primary, linear structure to which it is attached. The Type III NES is a two degree-of-freedom device comprised of two lightweight masses coupled together through an essentially nonlinear element. The lower mass in this twomass arrangement is coupled to the linear structure through another essentially nonlinear element. This modification has been found to dramatically improve the performance of the NES to mitigate the shock when compared to a one degree-offreedom NES device. The measure of effective damping of the linear structure indicates the ability of the NES to dissipate energy and reduce the response of the structure across a wide range of energies. Experimental tests have been performed to verify the numerical findings. Good agreement between numerical predictions and experimental observations validates the identified model of the NES.