Experimental and Numerical Analysis of an Aluminum Cantilevered Beam with Polymer Adhesive

In this paper, experimental and numerical investigation on a composite cantilevered aluminum beam has been conducted. The subject of the study consists of two plain aluminum elements bonded with polymer adhesive of different thickness. It has been proven in the previous study that this kind of material has high damping properties. During an experimental investigation, value of damping ratios have been obtained. The aim of a numerical analysis was to determine dynamic parameters, such as modes of free vibration and corresponding natural frequencies. The results obtained from the analysis have been compared with the values estimated for plain cantilevered beam. The results of the study clearly show that bonding two stiff elements with the analyzed polymer adhesive leads to the significant increase in overall damping properties.