Vibration Transfer Path Analysis in Mechanical Systems Based on the Extended Multibody System Transfer Matrix Method

Vibrations generated during the operation of mechanical systems can significantly degrade the overall dynamic performance and even lead to the failure of components or system structures. To address this, reducing system vibrations has become one of the critical tasks in the design and development of modern mechanical systems. This requires identifying the primary vibration sources and transfer paths early in the design phase, understanding the energy transfer characteristics of excitation sources across different paths, and subsequently implementing appropriate optimization and control measures to reduce system vibrations. The Transfer Path Analysis (TPA) is one of the primary methods for analyzing vibration transmission issues in mechanical systems. It evaluates the contribution of each path to the target responses and has been widely applied across various engineering fields. The Extended Multibody System Transfer Matrix Method (EMSTMM), as a novel approach for analyzing the dynamic characteristics of mechanical systems, defines extended state vectors and employs element transfer equations to analyze the system’s dynamics responses under harmonic excitations. The EMSTMM offers advantages such as eliminating the need for global dynamic equations, low matrix order, fast computation, and high programmability. Moreover, it enables accurate computation of system’s frequency response functions without requiring modal truncation and assuming proportional damping. This paper integrates EMSTMM and TPA to establish a numerical method for vibration transfer path analysis in mechanical systems. Numerical simulation examples validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The approach presented in this study provides a new approach to guide the optimization and design of mechanical systems through vibration transfer path analysis.