Damping Mechanisms in Cable-Harnessed Structures for Space Applications: Experimental Validation

In this technical brief, the experimental study and model validations for the damping mechanisms of cable-harnessed beam structures are presented. The structure consists of cables wrapped around a host beam in a periodic zigzag pattern. A special case of cable attached along the beam length over its centerline is also considered. First, material damping in the cables is characterized using dynamic tests and the relevant cable damping factors are calculated for both the Kelvin-Voigt and hysteretic damping models. Experimental modal testing is then performed on the fabricated cable-harnessed beams to obtain the frequency response functions (FRFs). Finally, the experimental FRFs are compared with the damped analytical models. The test and model results are shown to be in very good agreements in predicting the structural damping induced by the cables.