The Damping Effect of an Impact Damper

Abstract

Impact dampers are sometimes used for reducing vibrations of machines and structures. The damping effect of this type of damper on natural vibrations is investigated experimentally. It is shown that the damper becomes quite effective when an appropriate choice is made of such system parameters as (i) the weight ratio of the colliding sphere and the body, whose vibrations are to be reduced; and (ii) the restitution coefficient between the sphere and the body. The damping effect of a combined damper made up of two impact dampers is also investigated. It is shown that this damper is suitable for certain uses.