Sway control of containers through concurrent application of active mass damper and driving mechanism

Abstract

This study addresses the challenge of suppressing residual vibrations in container by integrating feedback control mechanisms. Conventional input shaping control alone proves insufficient, particularly in the presence of external disturbances. To overcome this limitation, the study proposes the incorporation of an Active Mass Damper (AMD) and a driving mechanism. A testbed was constructed, utilizing a ball-screw mechanism connected to an AC servomotor for trolley movement. Wires connected the payload to the trolley, with an AMD employing a linear motor mounted on the payload. Acceleration of the payload was measured through an accelerometer, while encoders tracked linear positions of the trolley and the active mass. The Negative Acceleration Feedback (NAF) Control algorithm was employed, and the stability of the control system was theoretically investigated, followed by numerical simulations. Both numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed control system effectively suppresses payload vibrations with additional feedback control to the trolley motion. The study establishes both theoretical and experimental success in employing the proposed control technique for container vibration control.