EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF DAMPING PROPERTIES OF VISCOELASTIC MATERIALS

This study presents results of an experimental investigations of the materials used in passive damping vibrations. The main purpose of this paper was to examine the damping properties of selected viscoelastic materials (VEM), using the modal analysis. In presented analysis three configurations of specimens were considered. At first, the separated steel beam was analyzed. As results of this analysis, the frequencies and amplitudes of the beam during resonance were obtained. In next part of the work the modified specimen was investigated. In this modification the bitumen-based material (as a damper) was fixed to the surface of the beam. This method is known as free layer damping (FLD) treatment. In last configuration, the butyl rubber layer was connected to the steel beam. Using the Unholtz-Dickie UDCO-TA250 electrodynamic vibration system, the natural frequencies and amplitudes of free vibrations for all examined specimens were obtained. The vibration amplitude of the beam was measured using piezoelectric acceleration sensors. In order to define the damping capabilities of both the bitumen based material and the butyl rubber, the relative amplitude of specimens and the loss factor using half-power bandwidth method were calculated.