VIBRATION ATTENUATION OF PANEL STRUCTURES BY OPTIMALLY SHAPED VISCOELASTIC COATING WITH ADDED WEIGHT CONSIDERATIONS

This paper presents a study on vibration damping by means of partial viscoelastic coating applied to the surface of vibrating panels. An optimization procedure seeking the location as well as the shape of coverage giving the best damping performance for a given weight of material is established. Emphasis is also put on the temperature and frequency dependent characteristics of the viscoelastic material. The results show the effects of the operating temperature and the great potential of using optimized partial coverage, either to reduce the weight while maintaining the same damping level or to increase the performance with the same amount of material.