Model Calibration and Validation for Material Damping Using Finite Element Analyses

Abstract

Finite element analyses are a powerful engineering tool that can yield insight into the behavior of engineering systems that experimentation may not accurately yield. Including damping in these analyses can yield more accurate models, but damping is often neglected due to difficulties in determining which damping model to use, and the appropriate parameters for the models. This research explored the relationship between physical damping and its implementation in Abaqus, with a focus on investigating the different effects of different damping models. The three damping models investigated were mass-proportional, stiffness-proportional, and viscoelastic. The parameters of the models were calibrated for a particular material with experimental data from a simple “calibration structure.” Preliminary testing on the validity of the models was completed by comparing experimental results of a more complex “validation structure,” made of the same material, with simulation results generated using the calibrated damping parameters.