A state-switched absorber (SSA) is a device capable of instantaneously changing its stiffness, thus it can switch between resonance frequencies, increasing its effective bandwidth as compared to classical tuned vibration absorbers for vibration control. Previous numerical work has shown that an optimized SSA outperforms an optimized TVA at controlling vibrations of both a beam and a plate. This paper details the experimental validation of these simulation results. An SSA was realized by employing magneto-rheological elastomers to achieve a stiffness change. The stiffness of these elastomers is a function of the magnetic field put across them. Experiments were conducted on both a cantilever beam and a square plate clamped on all sides. Each system was excited by several two-frequency component excitations. For each forcing combination, several tuning configurations of the SSA were applied and the kinetic energy of the system was found. This observed performance was compared to the performance found through numerical simulations of a system with a similar tuning and excitation configuration. It was found that the observed performance follows closely with results found through numerical simulation.
