Spectral element modeling for the beams treated with active constrained layer damping

This paper introduces a spectrally formulated finite element for the beams with active constrained layer damping (ACLD). The spectral ACLD beam element is formulated from exact wave solutions of a set of fully coupled dynamic equations of motion. The fully coupled dynamic equations of motion are derived by using Hamilton's principle, and they include the axial motion and rotary inertia of the viscoelastic layer. The dynamic responses obtained by the experiment, spectral element method and the finite element method are compared to evaluate the validity and accuracy of the present spectral ACLD beam element model. The control performances of an actively controlled ACLD beam predicted by using the present spectral element model and the conventional finite element model are also compared. The spectral ACLD beam element model is found to provide very reliable results when compared with the conventional finite element model. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.