Influence of Temperature on the Damping Properties of Selected Viscoelastic Materials

The paper presents results of experimental investigations of the influence of temperature on the effectiveness of passive vibration isolation. Two types of viscoelastic materials (butyl rubber and bituminous material) were tested. In the performed vibration analysis, the Oberst beam made out of aluminum alloy with a damping material in a Free Layer Damping (FLD) configuration was used. The experimental modal analysis was performed using the Unholtz-Dickie UDCO TA-250 vibration system. To investigate the influence of temperature on the effectiveness of passive vibration isolation, an isothermal cooling chamber (using Peltier cells) was designed and constructed. The tests were carried out in a wide frequency range from 40 Hz to 4000 Hz, at a constant sweep rate, in a temperature range from -2 °C to 22 °C. Miniature piezoelectric acceleration sensors were used to determine the acceleration of the beam and the exciter head. The analysis of accelerations of both the object and the shaker head allowed for the determination of a Frequency Response Function (FRF) for the beam. The course of FRF was used to determine the resonance frequencies and the vibration amplitudes of the beam damped with bituminous material and butyl rubber at various temperatures. The loss factor η, calculated for each resonance using the generalized half-power method (n-dB method), was used as an indicator of damping intensity. The research results presented in this work (important from scientific point of view) also have utilitarian significance and can be used in the design of more quiet and comfortable motor vehicles, railway wagons and aircraft structures.