Complex-Stiffness Damping

CEE 541. Structural Dynamics

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Duke University
Henri P. Gavin
Fall, 2014

1 Time Domain Analysis

Dynamic test results on structural solids support damping mechanisms

in which the energy dissipated per cycle is frequency-independent. Coulomb
friction,
fD (r, ṙ) = Ff sgn[ṙ(t)] , (1)
is one such mechanism. Another is a mechanism which provides forces that
are proportional to displacement, r(t), and are in phase with the velocity,
ṙ(t),
fD (r, ṙ) = (ξk) |r(t)| (ṙ(t)/|ṙ(t)|) . (2)
A damping force which is proportional to both displacement and velocity, and
is in phase with velocity,

fD (r, ṙ) = (ξk) |r(t)| ṙ(t) , (3)

is also frequency-independent. To examine the damping behavior resulting

from these expressions, consider sinusoidal motion, r(t) = r̄ cos(ωt), and
ṙ(t) = −ωr̄ sin(ωt). Figures 1 and 2 show the force-displacement and force-
velocity relationships for equations (2) and (3). Here we can see that the
damping force is indeed proportional to displacement, in-phase with velocity,
and independent of frequency, ω.
These damping expression are non-linear in terms displacements and
velocities. Oscillators damped with the mechanisms of equation (2),
mr̈(t) + (ξk)|r(t)|ṙ(t)/|ṙ(t)| + kr(t) = f (t) , r(0) = 0 , ṙ(0) = 0 , (4)

are homogeneous. A doubling of the external forcing in equation (4) always

results in a doubling of the the response. Oscillators damped with the mech-
anisms of equations (1) and (3), on the other hand, are not homogeneous.
They exhibit amplitude-dependent behavior.
2 CEE 541. Structural Dynamics – Duke University – Fall 2014 – H.P. Gavin

0.1 0.1

0.05 0.05
force

force
0 0

-0.05 -0.05

-0.1 -0.1
-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1
displacement velocity

Figure 1. Force-displacement and force-velocity relationship for complex-stiffness damping

(equation (2), sometimes called “butterfly damping”) for ω = π (blue) and ω = 2π (green) and
ξk = 0.1.
0.1 0.1

0.05 0.05
force

force

0 0

-0.05 -0.05

-0.1 -0.1
-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1
displacement velocity

Figure 2. Force-displacement and force-velocity relationship for complex-stiffness damping

(equation (3)) for ω = π (blue) and ω = 2π (green) and ξk = 0.1.

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Complex Stiffness Damping 3

2 Equivalent Linear Viscous Damping

The equivalent linear viscous damping is conventionally defined in terms

of equal energy dissipation per cycle of motion, WD . For any dissipative
structural component deforming dynamically with period T ,
Z T
WD = fD (t)ṙ(t) dt (5)
0

and is geometrically equal to the area within the hysteresis loop of one closed
cycle. It is not hard to see from figure 1 that for r(t) = r̄ cos ωt,
1
!
WD = (4) r̄ · ξkr = 2ξkr̄2 , (6)
2
and is independent of the frequency of oscillation, ω. The equivalent linear
viscous damping rate is proportional to WD , and the equivalent viscous damp-
ing rate is amplitude-independent, but inversely proportional to the frequency
of motion,
WD 2ξkr̄2 2ξk
ceqv (ω) = = = . (7)
πωr̄2 πωr̄2 πω
The equivalent viscous damping ratio depends on the frequency ratio, Ω =
ω/ωn ,
WD 2ξkr̄2 ξk
ζeqv (Ω) = = = . (8)
2kπΩr̄2 2kπΩr̄2 πΩ

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4 CEE 541. Structural Dynamics – Duke University – Fall 2014 – H.P. Gavin

3 Frequency Domain Analysis and Transmissibility

For linear viscous damping, the response amplitude R is related to the
amplitude of sinusoidal base motion Z by
(mλ2 + cλ + k) R eλt = −mλ2 Z eλt . (9)
The transmissibility ratio Tr(ω) is the ratio of the total response amplitude,
(R + Z), to the input amplitude, Z. Tr(ω) = (R + Z)/Z. For linear viscous
damping,
ciω + k 2iζΩ + 1
Trlv (ω) = = , (10)
−mω 2 + ciω + k −Ω2 + 2iζΩ + 1
q
where the frequency ratio is Ω = ω/ωn , the natural frequency is ωn = k/m,
and the damping ratio is ζ = c/(2k).
For damping that is proportional to displacement and is in-phase with
velocity (equation (2)), the response amplitude R is related to the amplitude
of sinusoidal base motion Z by
(mλ2 R + (ξk) |R| λR / |λR| + kR) eλt = −mλ2 Z eλt
(mλ2 R + (ξk) |R| λR / (|λ||R|) + kR) eλt = −mλ2 Z eλt
(mλ2 R + (ξk) R λ/|λ| + kR) eλt |λ=iω = −mλ2 Z eλt |λ=iω
(−mω 2 + (ξk) iω/|ω| + k) R eiωt = mω 2 Z eiωt
(−mω 2 + k(1 + iξ)) R eiωt = mω 2 Z eiωt
The term k(1 + iξ) illustrates why this form of damping is called “complex-
stiffness” damping. The transmissibility ratio for complex-stiffness damping
is
k(iξ + 1) iξ + 1
Trcs (ω) = = , (11)
−mω 2 + k(iξ + 1) −Ω2 + iξ + 1
where Ω = ω/ωn and ωn2 = k/m. The magnitudes of the transmissibility ra-
tios given by equations (10) and (11) are plotted in Figure 3. Note that in the
low-frequency range, linear viscous damping and complex-stiffness damping
give similar transmissibilities, whereas in the high frequency (short period)
range, the transmissibility for complex stiffness damping is less sensitive to
increases in damping than is linear viscous damping. Note also that since
complex-stiffness damped oscillators (equation (4)) are not linear, the trans-
missibility function (11) may not be used in Fourier expansions of general
periodic responses.

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Complex Stiffness Damping 5

1 1
10 10

transmissibility ratio, Trcs(Ω)

transmissibility ratio, Trlv(Ω)

100 100

10-1 10-1
0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
frequency ratio, Ω = ω / ωn frequency ratio, Ω = ω / ωn

6 4

frequency response, Hcs(Ω)

frequency response, Hlv(Ω)

2
0
0
-2
-2

-4
-4
real ( Hlv(Ω) ) -- even real ( Hcs(Ω) ) -- even
imag ( Hlv(Ω) ) -- odd imag ( Hcs(Ω) ) -- even!
-6 -6
-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3
frequency ratio, Ω = ω / ωn frequency ratio, Ω = ω / ωn

Figure 3. Transmissibility ratio for viscous damping (left) and complex-stiffness damping (right).
ξ = 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0 and ζ = 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0 For viscous damping, H(Ω) = H ∗ (−Ω).
For complex stiffness damping, H(Ω) = H(−Ω)!

References
[1] Bishop, R.E.D. and Gladwell G.M.L., “An Investigation into the Theory of Resonance
Testing,” Philosophical Transactions, 255 (1963) 241-280.

[2] Clough, RW and Penzien, J, Dynamics of Structures, 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill, 2003. section
3.7

[3] Reid, T.J., “Free vibration and hysteretic damping,” J. Royal Aeronautical Soc. 60 (1956)
738.

[4] Caughey, T.K. and Vijayaraghavan, A., “Free and forced oscillations of a dynamic system
with “linear damping” (nonlinear theory),” Int’l J. Non-Linear Mech. 5 (1970) 533-555.

[5] Beucke, K.K. and Kelly, J.M., “Equivalent linearization for practical hysteretic systems,”
Int’l J. Non-Linear Mech. 32 (1985) 211-238.

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