Viscoelastic Damping Calculations Using a p-Type Finite Element Code

Abstract

Damping factors of viscoelastically damped structures can be calculated using the modal strain energy method, implemented with a sequence of undamped modal analysis computations. There are significant advantages in performing these calculations using p -type finite element codes. These include ease of mesh design, an indicator of degree of solution convergence, modest computation time, and an insensitivity to element aspect ratio. Capitalizing on these advantages an algorithm is defined, which is effective in solving for the natural frequencies and modal loss factors of damped structures. The algorithm is demonstrated using a sandwiched cantilevered beam as an example.