Dynamic Testing and Evaluation of the Torsional Vibration Absorber

The torsional vibration absorber (TVA) is a device which is designed control torsional crankshaft vibration in piston engines. The TVA is based on the concept of the pendulum absorber and incorporates rollers housed in a circular disc with holes bored in its perimeter. While the tuned damper reduces vibration at a constant frequency, the TVA reduces vibration at a constant order. The paper investigates the effectiveness of the TVA in comparison to the traditional tuned damper and to a viscous damper. The comparisons are conducted both in controlled dynamometer testing and in field tests on two V-8 motors modified for drag racing.