Module 4

Machine Foundation
Elastic half-space
A soil medium with a horizontal ground surface
extending laterally to infinite length and downwards
from the horizontal is called a semi-infinite medium or
semi-infinite half-space.
Such a medium, if assumed to be homogeneous,
isotropic, and elastic, then it is called elastic half-space.
Damping

Damping in a physical system is resistance to motion

Types of damping

Viscous Damping

Friction or Coulomb Damping

Solid, Internal or Structural Damping

Slip or Interfacial Damping

Radiation, dispersion or geometric damping

Viscous damping

This type of damping occurs in lubricated sliding

surfaces, dashpots with small clearances etc.

Magnitude of damping depends upon the relative

velocity and upon the parameters of the damping
system
Friction or Coulomb Damping

This kind of damping occurs when two machine parts

rub against each other, dry or un-lubricated. The
damping force in this case is practically constant and is
independent of the velocity with which the parts rub
each other.
Solid, Internal or Structural Damping

This type of damping is due to the internal friction of

the molecules.
Slip or Interfacial Damping

Energy of vibration is dissipated by microscopic slip on

the interfaces of machine parts in contact under
fluctuating loads.
Radiation, dispersion or geometric damping

The dissipation of energy by wave propagation,

radiating away into the soil mass, causes damping
effect. This is known as radiation, dispersion, or
geometric damping.

(This damping is free from its material property and is

contributed by the geometry of the system)
Negative Damping

The build-up of amplitudes of transmission line wires,

or tall poles or suspension bridges under the action of
uniform wind flow at critical speeds are examples of
negatively damped systems.
Foundations of impact type machines
For small hammers
For medium capacity hammers
Foundation block on elastic pads