Soft hollow particle damping identification in honeycomb structures

The aim of this study is to provide a structural damping solution for space applications to enhance mission performance of honeycomb structures. Classical particle dampers are enclosures partially filled with small metallic or glass spheres, attached to a vibrating structure. The induced damping mechanism is mainly due to frictional losses and collision effects. This paper deals with replacing classical hard particles with soft hollow ones. This study is oriented toward experimental investigations and theoretical validation in order to distinguish dissipation phenomena. The experimental approach first relies on identifying the damping in small honeycomb samples filled with particles. Instead of dissipation by friction and impact, the elliptical shape of the measured hysteresis loops highlights that visco-elastic behavior is dominant with these specific soft particle dampers. Then, experimental and numerical validations are performed on aluminum honeycomb cantilever beams filled with particles. To take into account the effect of the particles, equivalent oscillators, based on the previous experimental damping identification, are added to a finite element model. These kinds of particle dampers are highly nonlinear as a function of excitation frequency and amplitude. It is shown that good damping efficiency is achieved across a large frequency range with low impact on structure stiffness. This paper suggests a convenient method to model the structural damping induced by soft hollow particles. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.