[Paper Review] Creep and Mechanical Oscillator Damping

Randall D. Peters|ArXiv.org|Sep 25, 2001

Dynamics and Control of Mechanical Systems3 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes a revised model of mechanical oscillator damping by emphasizing internal friction arising from secondary creep in structural components, rather than relying on conventional viscous or friction-based models. It successfully explains the frequency-dependent Q factor variation, offering a more accurate conceptual understanding of energy loss mechanisms in oscillators.

ABSTRACT

Although "friction" is included in many models of oscillator damping, including viscous ones applied to the pendulum; they "miss the mark" with regard to a conceptual understanding of the mechanisms responsible for energy loss. The theory of the present paper corrects some of these misunderstandings by considering the influence of internal friction which derives from the structural members of the oscillator through secondary rather than primary creep. The simple model properly describes the variation of Q with frequency.

Motivation & Objective

• To address conceptual shortcomings in existing models of oscillator damping that rely on viscous or macroscopic friction.

Proposed method

• Models energy loss in oscillators through internal friction derived from secondary creep in structural members.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How does secondary creep in structural components influence oscillator damping?

Key findings

• The model accurately describes the variation of the Q factor with frequency.