Modeling of Viscoelastic Dampers for Structural Applications

This paper presents an analytical model for predicting the hysteretic behavior of viscoelastic dampers based on the Boltzmann's superposition principle and the method of reduced variables. The model parameters have physical meaning and they can be determined from simple time-domain and frequency-domain tests. The presented model is checked against damper tests performed under different strain inputs and shows good results. Test procedure and determination of model parameters are also discussed. Under certain conditions, it is shown that a significant simplification results in determining the frequency and temperature dependency of the shear storage and shear loss moduli of the viscoelastic material, leading to useful applications to viscoelastic damper design and structural applications. Finally, the presented model is compared with the ones based on the concept of fractional derivatives.