Vibration Damping Materials

Abstract

The dynamic resonances and sound barrier properties of a structure are governed primarily by mass, stiffness, and damping. Mass and stiffness were discussed in Chapter 3. Damping is perhaps the most unpredictable and complex property. The word “damping” has been used loosely for many years to denote any number of noise abatement procedures. Frequently used, almost self contradictory phrases such as “damp out the sound in the room” and “use sound damping mounts under the machine” indicate the state of popular confusion among the mechanisms of vibration damping, sound absorption, and vibration isolation.