A nonlinear model and parameter identification method for rubber isolators under shock excitation in underwater vehicles

Rubber isolators are usually used to protect high-precision equipment of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), avoiding damage from overlarge dynamic excitation. Considering the nonlinear properties of the rubber material, the nonlinear behavior of rubber isolators under shock exaltation is hard to be predict accurately without the available modal and accurate parameters. In view of this, the present study proposes a nonlinear model and parameter identification method of rubber isolators to present their transient responses under shock excitation. First, a nonlinear model of rubber isolators is introduced for simulating their amplitude and frequency-dependent deformation under shock excitation. A corresponding dynamic equation of the isolation system is proposed and analytically solved by the Newmark method and the Newton-arithmetic mean method. Secondly, a multilayer feed-forward neural network (MFFNN) is constructed with the current model to search the parameters, in which the differences between the estimated and tested responses are minimized. The sine-sweep and drop test are planned with MFFNN to build the parameter identification process of rubber isolators. Then, a T-shaped isolator composed of high-damping silicon rubber is selected as a sample, and its parameters were determined by the current identification process. The transient responses of the isolation system are reconstructed by the current mode with the identified parameter, which show good agreement with measured responses. The accuracy of the proposed model and parameter identification method is proved. Finally, the errors between the reconstructed responses and tested responses are analyzed, and the main mode of energy attenuation in the rubber isolator is discussed in order to provide an inside view of the current model.