Lesson 3. Damping Elements

LESSON 3.
DAMPING ELEMENTS
In many practical systems, the vibrational energy is gradually converted to heat or sound. Due to
the reduction in the energy, the response, such as the displacement of the system, gradually decreases. The
mechanism by which the vibrational energy is gradually converted into heat or sound is known as damping.
Although the amount of energy converted into heat or sound is relatively small, the consideration of
damping becomes important for an accurate prediction of the vibration response of a system. A damper is
assumed to have neither mass nor elasticity, and damping force exists only if there is relative velocity
between the two ends of the damper. It is difficult to determine the causes of damping in practical systems.
Hence damping is modeled as one or more of the following types.
Viscous Damping. Viscous damping is the most commonly used damping mechanism in vibration
analysis. When mechanical systems vibrate in a fluid medium such as air, gas, water, or oil, the resistance
offered by the fluid to the moving body causes energy to be dissipated. In this case, the amount of dissipated
energy depends on many factors, such as the size and shape of the vibrating body, the viscosity of the fluid,
the frequency of vibration, and the velocity of the vibrating body. In viscous damping, the damping force
is proportional to the velocity of the vibrating body. Typical examples of viscous damping include (1) fluid
film between sliding surfaces, (2) fluid flow around a piston in a cylinder, (3) fluid flow through an orifice,
and (4) fluid film around a journal in a bearing.
Viscous damping occurs in a mechanical system because of viscous friction that results from
contact of a system component and a viscous liquid. The damping force produced when a rigid body is
constant with a viscous liquid is usually proportional to the velocity of the body
𝐹 = 𝑐𝑣
Where c is called the damping coefficient and has dimensions of mas per unit time.
Coulomb or Dry-Friction Damping. Here the damping force is constant in magnitude but
opposite in direction to that of the motion of the vibrating body. It is caused by friction between rubbing
surfaces that either are dry or have insufficient lubrication.
Material or Solid or Hysteretic Damping. When a material is deformed, energy is absorbed and
dissipated by the material [1.31]. The effect is due to friction between the internal planes, which slip or
slide as the deformations take place. When a body having material damping is subjected to vibration, the
stress-strain diagram shows a hysteresis loop as indicated in Fig. 3.1 (a). The area of this loop denotes the
energy lost per unit volume of the body per cycle due to damping.
Fig 3.1.Hysteresis loop for elastic materials.

Construction of Viscous Dampers
Viscous dampers can be constructed in several ways. For instance, when a plate moves relative to
another parallel plate with a viscous fluid in between the plates, a viscous damper can be obtained. The
following examples illustrate the various methods of constructing viscous dampers used in different
applications.
Example. Damping Constant of Parallel Plates Separated by Viscous Fluid
Consider two parallel plates separated by a distance ℎ, with a fluid of viscosity between the plates.
Derive an expression for the damping constant when one plate moves with a velocity 𝑣 relative to the other
as shown in Fig. 3.2.
Fig. 3.2.Parallel plates with a viscous fluid in between.

Solution: Let one plate be fixed and let the other plate be moved with a velocity 𝑣 in its own plane. The
fluid layers in contact with the moving plate move with a velocity 𝑣, while those in contact with the fixed
plate do not move. The velocities of intermediate fluid layers are assumed to vary linearly between
0 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑣 , as shown in Fig. 3.2. According to Newton s law of viscous flow, the shear stress developed in
the fluid layer at a distance y from the fixed plate is given by
𝑑𝜇
𝜏=𝜇
𝑑𝑦
𝑑𝜇 𝑣
where 𝑑𝑦 = ℎ is the velocity gradient. The shear or resisting force (F) developed at the bottom surface of
the moving plate is
𝜇𝐴𝑣
𝐹 = 𝜏𝐴 = 𝜇
ℎ
where A is the surface area of the moving plate. By expressing F as
𝐹 = 𝑐𝑣
Where c is called the damping coefficient and has dimensions of mas per unit time.
the damping constant c can be found as
𝜇𝐴
𝑐=
ℎ
Example. Clearance in a Bearing
A bearing, which can be approximated as two flat plates separated by a thin film of lubricant (Fig. 3.3), is
found to offer a resistance of 400 N when SAE 30 oil is used as the lubricant and the relative velocity
between the plates is 10 m/s. If the area of the plates (A) is 0.1m2, determine the clearance between the
plates. Assume the absolute viscosity of SAE 30 oil as 50 𝜇reyn or 0.3445 Pa-s.
Fig. 3.3. Flat plates separated by thin film of lubricant.

Solution: Since the resisting force (F) can be expressed as 𝐹 = 𝑐𝑣 where c is the damping constant and v
is the velocity, we have
𝐹 400
𝑐=𝑣= 10
= 40𝑁 − 𝑠/𝑚
By modeling the bearing as a flat-plate-type damper, the damping constant is

𝜇𝐴
𝑐=
ℎ
Using the known data,
0.3445(0.1)
𝑐 = 40 = ℎ
; ℎ = 0.86125𝑚𝑚

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LESSON 3.

Fig 3.1.Hysteresis loop for elastic materials.

Fig. 3.2.Parallel plates with a viscous fluid in between.

Fig. 3.3. Flat plates separated by thin film of lubricant.

By modeling the bearing as a flat-plate-type damper, the damping constant is

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