Damping capacity of various materials with non-uniform intensity of pressure distribution at the interfaces of a layered and jointed structure

The present work investigates the mechanism of damping in layered and jointed bolted structures of aluminium, copper and mild steel materials with non-uniform intensity of pressure distribution at the interfaces. Extensive experiments are conducted to validate the numerical analysis. The interface pressure, diameter of the bolts, material, coefficient of friction and dynamic slip ratio at the interfaces, washer, and frequency of excitation are found to play major roles on the damping capacity of structures. It is established that the damping capacity of bolted structures can be enhanced substantially with an increase in number of layers and decrease in diameter of the bolts along with use of washers. It is further found that the aluminium material in layers contribute more to the damping of structures and this design concept can be effectively used to select a proper material depending on the required damping capacity in real industrial applications.