Design and experiment of a noncontact electromagnetic vibration isolator with controllable stiffness

Abstract Isolating low-frequency vibration in current satellites that has a negative effect on the performance of precise payloads has increasingly demand. In this work, a simplified model of a noncontact electromagnetic isolator for low-frequency vibration, which has a controllable stiffness with a minimum of zero, is proposed. Starting with the designing process of the vibration isolator, a series of ground-based experiments are carried out to verify the controllable stiffness. Two typical operating scenarios, the vibration isolation and rapid maneuver modes, are experimentally demonstrated. The experimental results indicate that the stiffness has a practically proportional relationship with the input current and the proposed design works well for both of the operation modes.