The loss factor experimental characterisation of the non-obstructive particles damping approach

The Non-obstructive Particle Damping (NOPD) technology is an actuality research topic in vibration attenuation. In spite of the simplicity of this technology, the large number of NOPD parameters constitutes one of the problems in the computation of its damping contribution. In this paper, an experimental characterisation of non-obstructive particle damper under harmonic excitation was investigated. The experimental method which was developed allows the quantification of NOPD’s loss factor independently of the structure. Some system parameters such as excitation frequencies, excitation amplitudes and geometry of granular cavity were examined. Afterward, the characterised damping was converted to an equivalent viscous damping in order to predict the dynamic behaviour of a damped structure. The good correlation between experimental and numerical results illustrates the performance and the usefulness of the proposed method.

► This paper presented an experimental characterisation of Non-Obstructive Particle Damper (NOPD) under harmonic excitation.
► The quantification of NOPD’s loss factor developed without the supplementary use of a primary structure.
► The conversion of the non-obstructive particles damper characterised experimentally into an equivalent viscous damping.