Finite Element Modeling for Vibration Analysis of Constrained Layer Damping Treated Structures

A compound plate element is presented for modeling all layers of the damped structure into a single element. By associating deformations of the damping layer to those of base structure layer and constraining layer, the kinetic and potential energies of the damping layer as well as those of base and constraining layers can be derived. Then the element mass and stiffness matrices can be obtained for all layers as a whole. The newly derived element formulation results in significant simplification of constrained layer modeling and dramatic reduction of element density while maintaining the desired accuracy. The use of the element also allows direct and more accurate calculation of structural modal damping in modal analysis.