Vibration Dynamics and Control of Advanced Mechanical Systems: From Theory, Experiment to Engineering Applications

Modern high-end mechanical systems operate under severe environments that demand conflicting performance requirements. Aviation gearboxes and propulsion systems must withstand high speed and high mobility including sharp manoeuvring and rapid acceleration while vehicle drivetrains and suspensions primarily demand low vibration and low noise for passenger comfort and durability. In robotics and turbomachinery, extreme temperatures, shock loads, and time-varying stiffnesses further complicate vibration behaviour.

Traditional linear analysis often fails to capture the underlying nonlinear dynamic mechanisms such as clearance-induced impacts, friction coupling, and multi-field interactions leading to unexpected failures and reduced service life. Recent advances in nonlinear dynamics, high-bandwidth sensing, real-time signal processing, and active control offer new opportunities to understand and suppress vibrations across these diverse scenarios.
This Research Topic aims to bridge theoretical modeling, experimental validation, and engineering applications, with a focus on dynamic mechanisms, testing methodologies, and noise/vibration reduction strategies for mechanical systems under extreme operating conditions.

Objectives

This Research Topic seeks breakthroughs across three interconnected areas:
o Mechanistic understanding of vibration dynamics and control in high-end mechanical systems
o Advanced testing methodologies for extreme operating environments
o Noise and vibration reduction techniques applicable across diverse engineering domains

Key questions to be addressed include:

o How can the dynamic mechanisms of nonlinear vibrations in high-speed gear transmissions be theoretically revealed and accurately modeled?
o What active and passive vibration control strategies can effectively suppress vibrations under high-mobility and wide-temperature operating conditions?
o How can machine vision and digital image correlation (DIC) be applied as non-contact tools for vibration monitoring and fault diagnosis?
o What novel signal monitoring and processing methods can extract early fault features from strong noise backgrounds?
o How can vibration reduction and noise control be synergistically optimized at both system and component levels?

By integrating expertise from gear dynamics, vehicle engineering, robotics, experimental mechanics, and signal processing, this Research Topic aims to produce a collection of high-impact articles presenting innovative theories, practical measurement techniques, and engineering design guidelines for achieving quieter, safer, and more reliable mechanical systems under extreme environments.

Themes of Interest

This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, review articles, and case studies. Specific themes include, but are not limited to:
o Nonlinear vibration mechanisms and modeling of high-speed gear transmissions and vehicle drivetrains
o Active and passive vibration control under high speed, high mobility, high/low temperature, and impact loads
o Non-contact vibration testing methods: machine vision, DIC, and laser vibrometry
o Advanced signal monitoring and processing for fault diagnosis and health monitoring
o Experimental mechanics for vibration characterization and validation under extreme environments
o Integration of vibration reduction and noise control in robotics and mechatronic systems
o Vibration energy harvesting and damping technologies for high-end equipment
o Theoretical and engineering approaches to suppressing self-excited vibrations induced by friction or fluid–structure interaction

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Keywords: Extreme operating conditions, Mechanical systems, Dynamic mechanisms, Vibration control, Signal monitoring, Noise and vibration reduction

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.