Shear deformation damping of a double-beam structure

The dynamics of twin cantilever beams connected at their free ends by a viscoelastic member is investigated. A series of experiments with damping members made of various materials was conducted. A dynamic model of the structure is proposed. It fits the experimental data well, and allows estimating the Kirchhoff modulus and shear damping coefficient of the member. The influence of geometry of the damping element on oscillatory characteristics of the system is investigated.