Investigation of the Dynamic Properties of Viscoelastic Dampers with Three-Chain Micromolecular Configurations and Tube Constraint Effects

Abstract

Molecular chain structures have important impacts on the damping performance of viscoelastic materials/dampers. In the present work, a microstructure mathematical model of viscoelastic dampers is proposed that relies on statistical theory and the microscopic molecular configurations of materials. The three-chain model and Doi–Edwards model are employed to describe the molecular configurations and the tube constraint effects from ambient molecular chains. The influence of temperature variation is portrayed by the temperature–frequency equivalent principle. Sinusoidal force–displacement hysteresis tests are carried out on damper samples with different temperatures, frequencies, and displacement amplitudes, and the experimental data are compared with data from model calculations. This demonstrates that the viscoelastic dampers have excellent stiffness and damping properties, especially at low temperatures and high frequencies. The proposed microstructure mathematical model can perfectly depict the dynamic characteristics of viscoelastic materials/dampers under different test conditions, and the relationship between the macro damping performance of dampers and the microstructures of viscoelastic materials is established well. A viscoelastic damper is a kind of representative passive energy dissipation and vibration control device with a wide range of applications. The damping performance of the device is critically dependent on the mechanical and energy dissipation behaviors of the viscoelastic material. Mostly, the formulation and preparation of viscoelastic materials are based on experience, lacking theoretical basis and scientific guidance. The present work adopts the multiscale method to study the damping mechanism of viscoelastic materials from the perspective of microscopic molecular structures and verifies it with damper experiments. These results can provide theoretical guidance for the research and development of viscoelastic materials and dampers, and ultimately improve the energy dissipation performance of viscoelastic dampers, which is beneficial to the safety of citizen’s live and property. This research can also be utilized in microvibration suppression of satellite, vibration control of precision platform/machine, and noise control, among others. It has great social significance, economic value, and broad application prospects.