Experimental Method for Determining Energy Losses in Oscillatory Systems Based on ARMA Modeling

Abstract—Damping (dissipation, energy losses) is the most important parameter of all mechanical oscillatory systems, in addition to elasticity and inertia. Its special role is due to the fact that it directly determines the maximum amplitudes of free and forced vibrations of systems and, accordingly, their dynamic strength and reliability, noise and ecology. Due to the poor study of the physical processes of damping, it is measured experimentally. This article presents one of the new efficient methods for experimental determination of losses, characterized by simplicity, high accuracy and a wide range of applicability. The main attention is paid to substantiation of the method, its properties, and its verification in numerical and laboratory experiments. The method is recommended for measuring the losses of composite highly damped oscillatory systems, where known methods do not work or are too complex.