Vibration suppression of large flexible space structures via single-sided vibro-impact nonlinear energy sinks: Dynamics, design, and experiments on a hinged multi-beam assembly

Targeting the challenge of suppressing high-amplitude, lightly damped vibrations in large flexible space structures, such as solar sail panels, this study investigates the vibration suppression performance of a Single-sided Vibro-impact Nonlinear Energy Sink (SSVI-NES) applied to a representative hinge-connected multi-beam structure. The research begins by characterizing the linear dynamics of the host structure through a finite element model, analyzing the effects of hinge torsional stiffness and damping on modal parameters to establish an optimal baseline configuration. Subsequently, the strong nonlinear dynamics of the coupled SSVI-NES-multi-beam system are explored. Combining modal analysis with numerical methods (integrating the Moreau-Jean time-stepping and energy conservation schemes), the vibration suppression efficacy is systematically evaluated against key SSVI-NES parameters: impact clearance, linear spring stiffness, mass, coefficient of restitution, and attachment location. This analysis yields practical design criteria for the SSVI-NES. Experimental validation on a physical prototype, subjected to sinusoidal excitation with free-end acceleration measurement, confirms the significant vibration suppression achieved near the first two resonant frequencies by tuning the SSVI-NES parameters, thereby validating both its effectiveness and the proposed design guidelines.