Design of Passive Damping Systems

This paper presents a brief review of techniques for designed-in passive damping for vibration control. Designed-in passive damping for structures is usually based on one of four damping technologies: viscoelastic materials, viscous fluids, magnetics, or passive piezoelectrics. These methods are discussed and compared. The technology of using viscoelastic materials for passive damping is discussed in more detail than the other methods since it is presently the most widely used type of damping technology. Testing and characterization of viscoelastic materials and design methods for passive damping are discussed. An example showing the benefits of a passive damping treatment applied to a stiffened panel under an acoustic load is presented.