Mathematical Problems in Engineering
Volume 2 (1996), Issue 1, Pages 35-56
doi:10.1155/S1024123X96000221
A data-based damping modeling technique
1General Motors Technical Center, NAO Engineering Center, 1151 Crooks Road, Troy 48084, MI, USA
2Department of Electrical Engineering, Yeungnam University, College of Engineering, Gyongsan 713-749, Korea
Received 13 March 1995; Revised 26 March 1995
Copyright © 1996 William Zhang and S. G. Lee. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Damping mechanisms exist in all vibration systems, but their nature is little understood and there is no systematic method for modeling general damping. This paper describes a novel damping modeling method (the Method of Energy Approximation, or MEA). This method is novel because it is a unique damping modeling method without assumed damping linearity; it is based on experimental data instead of physical principles; hence it is applicable to vibration systems of various materials and configurations; and it is suitable for vibration system transient control. Among the three quantities essential to an understanding of the dynamics of a vibration system, mass, stiffness, and damping, the last is the most complex and least understood. Therefore, with recent technology advances in such areas as composite materials and smart materials, the need for a good damping modeling method is more urgent than ever.