Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1-2026
Department
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Abstract
Local impedance variations in structural waveguides partially reflect and absorb incidentflexural waves, motivating wave-based strategies for passive vibration control. This studydevelops and experimentally validates a wave-energy framework to quantify and optimizeflexural wave absorption by Kelvin–Voigt attachments on a finite Timoshenko beam.A finite element model is validated against Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometry measurementsfrom a clamped–clamped aluminum beam with a passive damper mounted nearone end, with dashpot parameters identified through two independent approaches andthe discrepancies attributed to parameter uncertainty. Wave decomposition of the simulatedand measured velocity fields yields the power reflection coefficient ρ(ω) and powerabsorption coefficient α(ω) over the 0–15.3 kHz band. The spring stiffness and dampingcoefficient exhibit frequency-dependent optima and act as complementary, jointly tuned designvariables. Expressing dashpot location in wavelength-normalized coordinates revealsa recurring spatial pattern in which absorption minima cluster around half-wavelengthmultiples, while multiple spanwise positions yield near-peak absorption at any givenfrequency. This pattern is governed primarily by the flexural wavelength, decouplingplacement from parameter tuning, and persists across clamped–clamped, clamped–free,and free–free boundary conditions. Two independently tuned dampers further broaden theeffective absorption band by suppressing local minima in α(ω). These results demonstratethat measurement-driven wave decomposition provides compact, physically groundedguidelines for passive damper placement in beam structures.
Publication Title
Sensors
Recommended Citation
Gupta, S.,
&
Malladi, V.
(2026).
Absorption Characteristics of a Passive Damper-Augmented Timoshenko Beam Using a Wave-Decomposition Approach.
Sensors,
26(13).
http://doi.org/10.3390/s26133985
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p2/2819
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Version
Publisher's PDF
Publisher's Statement
Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.3390/s26133985