FUNDAMENTALS OF MECHANICS AND FEA

CONCEPTS
Part 2
DAMPING FORCES
Damping is a phenomenon by which mechanical energy is dissipated (usually converted as thermal
energy) in dynamic systems.
Damping resists the force of motion. Therefore, it is in the opposite direction to the velocity.
When a damped oscillator is subject to a damping force which is linearly dependent upon the velocity,
such as viscous damping, the oscillation will have exponential decay terms which depend upon a
damping coefficient.
Critical damping is damping which represents border between harmonic and nonharmonic
oscillations. It is defined as
Rayleigh damping is defined as [C] = [M] + [K]
Critically damped
Over-damped
Under-damped
Damping (energy dissipation) always generates hysteretic loops in the force vs. displacement plane. The
loops dissipate energy, either as internal thermal energy or as structural damage. The damping types can
be classified as follows:
Material (Internal) damping: this refers to a damping that is internal to the structure; that is, it is
not related to the particular ambient where the structure is placed nor on the boundary conditions.
Two general types of internal damping can be identified: viscoelastic damping and hysteretic
damping.
Structural damping: this is a result of the mechanical energy dissipation. This dissipation is
caused by the rubbing friction resulting from the relative motion between components and by the
impacting or the intermittent contact at joints in a mechanical system or structure.
Fluid damping: this refers to a damping that is external to the structure; that is, it is related to the
ambient where the structure is. Some examples are dissipative effects due to flowstructure
interaction (both with air and water), soilstructure interaction at the foundation level and
dissipating links between the structure and the surroundings.
In modal analysis, there is generally no need to express the damping of a typical viscously damped
system by means of the damping matrix. Typically, when damping is given as a fraction of critical
damping associated with each mode, the values used are in the range of 1% to 10% of critical damping.
TYPES OF DAMPING
NEWTONS THREE LAWS of MOTION
1
st
law of motion states that an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force and
an object in motion continues in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted
upon by an unbalanced force. This law is often called "the law of inertia".
2
nd
law of motion states that the net force of an object is equal to the product of its mass and acceleration,
or F=ma. This is the most powerful of Newton's three Laws, because it allows quantitative calculations of
dynamics: how do velocities change when forces are applied.
3
rd
law of motion states that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. In
other words, if object A exerts a force on object B, then object B also exerts an equal force on object A.
The 1
st
Law is just a special case of the 2
nd
Law for which the net external force is zero.
Dont let this be you. Wear seat belts.
Because of inertia, objects (including you) resist changes in their motion. When the car
going 80 km/hour is stopped by the brick wall, your body keeps moving at 80 km/hour
Flying gracefully through the air, birds depend on Newtons third law of motion. As the birds
push down on the air with their wings, the air pushes their wings up and gives them lift.