Response of a Cantilever Beam Equipped with a Particle Damper Subjected to Impact Load

The behavior of a cantilever beam equipped with a particle damper, subjected to impact loads at various locations, was investigated using the discrete element method (DEM). The flexible cantilever steel beam and the particle damper attached to the beam’s tip were modeled with bonded particles through DEM. Computational simulations were conducted to explore the influence of different particle damper porosities and positions along the beam’s length. It was observed that reducing the particle damper’s porosity decreases the beam’s displacement. The impact force was significantly influenced by the porosity, where having lower porosities resulted in higher impact forces. In addition, the time intervals between sub-impacts were also affected by the damper’s porosity, showing a reduction as the porosity of the damper decreases. The unique type of particle damper used in this study contained sand grains as fillers and was capable of pressurizing the sand within its housing. This feature was utilized to investigate the effect of different initial pressures on the beam’s response. It was revealed that an increase in initial pressure reduces the beam’s displacement. Based on the results obtained, the optimal location for the particle damper was determined to be at the point where displacement reduction is required.