Design and optimization of an adjustable natural frequency tuning fork structure

Tuning forks have shown significant advantages in various fields with their unique design and physical characteristics. However, once a tuning fork has been manufactured, its natural frequency is difficult to adjust and there have been few reports on adjusting the natural frequency of tuning fork up till now. Therefore, this work focused on the design and optimization of an adjustable natural frequency tuning fork structure. It was found that the natural frequency of tuning fork can be adjusted by changing the position of mass block. Based on this, we embedded the mass block into the tuning fork via grooving on the surface of its arm. When the mass block moved back and forth, the range of the natural frequency can reach up to 30%. Moreover, benefiting from the stability of the H-shaped structure, the peak stress of the optimized structure in convex corner of the arm decreased by 10% when subjected to same impact acceleration. These results demonstrated a significant potential for improving the performance of devices featuring tuning fork structure.