Finite Element Design of Viscoelastically Damped Structures,

This paper describes four methods for the finite element analysis of structures containing a viscoelastic material. These methods fall into the categories of methods for damping treatment selection or methods for response prediction. The main emphasis of this paper is directed towards the Model Strain Energy MSE method. The MSE method uses normal mode techniques and, therefore, is an efficient method for the design of viscoelastically damped structures. The MSE method, implemented by finite element techniques, will aid the analyst in 1 selecting the location of the damping treatment, 2 selecting the damping treatment, 3 predicting the model damping factors, and 4 predicting the responses of the structure. A discussion of finite element modeling methods for structures containing viscoelastic materials is included. Two structures are discussed for which viscoelastic damping treatments were designed using the MSE technique. Comparisons of predicted and measured modal damping and frequencies are given. Author