Time and frequency response of structures with frequency dependent, non-proportional linear damping

A method to compute the non-stationary time and frequency response of structures with a frequency-dependent non-proportional linear damping, called the resonance modes method, is presented in this paper. It consists of two main steps. The first step aims at spotting the structure resonance modes, which are the solutions of the matrix nonlinear eigenvalue problem obtained using the finite element method in the complex plane. This step requires a complex eigensolver and an iterative scheme, a perturbation technique or a combination of both. The second step uses the computed resonance modes and an analytical expression of the inverse Laplace transform to deduce the time or frequency response of structures to general excitations. The response of an aluminum plate damped with an elastomer treatment to a point-force excitation, computed with the classical modal approach, the direct solution and the presented method shows its precision and efficiency. An acoustic power computation finally validates the implementation of a fast variant, based on the perturbation technique, for vibroacoustic applications. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.