Innovative Controllable Torsional Damper Based on Vacuum Packed Particles

In this paper a new concept of a controllable granular damper is presented. The introduced prototype works based on so-called vacuum packed particles (VPPs). Such structures are made of granular materials located in a soft and hermetic encapsulation. As a result of generating a partial vacuum inside the system, the structure starts to behave like a nonclassical solid body. The global physical (mechanical) features of VPPs depend on the level of internal underpressure. The introduced prototype of a controllable torsional damper exhibits various dissipative properties as a function of internal underpressure. The design details of the investigated device are presented. Basic laboratory tests results are discussed. To describe the hysteretic behavior of the device, the Bouc-Wen rheological model has been modified and adopted. Nonlinear functions of underpressure have been introduced to the initial model formulation. The developed Bouc-Wen model has been applied to capture the real response of the VPP torsional damper prototype.