Author(s)

L. Gaul, R. Nitsche

Abstract

Vibration suppression of space structures is an important and challenging prob- lem because the operational requirements are very high whereas the structural damping is expected to be small. The space structures often consist of truss elements which are connected by bolted joints. These junctions turn out to be the major sources of damping. Energy is dissipated in such joints primarily by dry, unlubricated friction acting at the interface of the connected parts. The design of enhanced friction joints for vibration suppression is investigated using semi-active friction elements. The use of active control to vary the normal con- tact force in a joint by using a piezoelectric element is explored. The technology is termed semi-active because it u

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