BULLETIN OF APPLIED MECHANICS 7(27), 50-53 (2011)

50
Structure Optimization of Passive Damped
Composite Beam
Josef Vack, Radek Kottner a Vclava Laov

1
AbstractComposites are already widely used in the aircraft
industry and they are gradually being increasingly used in other
industrial fields. Their inherent superior mechanical properties
can be enhanced by the addition of totally different materials into
the structure, creating hybrid composites. Improved damping
while retaining the original stiffness can be obtained by using any
viscoelastic materials, which are known as noble dampers. Such
treatment is part of passive damping control. This paper deals
with optimization of simple structures consisting of carbon fiber
reinforced polymer (CFRP) and cork composition in layered
form. The goal was to determine the optimum number and
location of damping cork layers to achieve the highest bending
stiffness and damping of a simple cantilevered beam with a
square tube cross-section. Numerical models were created using
finite element method (FEM) software MSC Marc. For the
purpose of optimization, the Pareto front algorithm was used
with the help of optiSlang software.
I ndex TermsCRFP, FEM, passive damping control,
optimization, Pareto front
I. INTRODUCTION
Apart from extraordinary mechanical properties, composite
materials are also valued for their ability to achieve a
synergistic effect. This principle can be successfully utilized
for damping the unwanted vibration of structures. As the use
of composite materials increases in the field of machine tool
design, the influence of integrated damping layers is being
studied. Application of damping layers to the structure is part
of passive damping treatment. This method is based on
dissipation of kinetic energy. Viscoelastic materials usually
provide excellent damping properties.
According to the position of the damping material, there
are two primary classifications. In the unconstrained layer
damping treatment (ULD), a viscoelastic coating is added to
one or more surfaces of an existing structure (Fig. 1). Bending
in the structure causes elongation or compression of the
viscoelastic layer and the energy dissipated is proportional to
the axial strain. The constrained layer damping treatment

1
Manuscript received October 19, 2011.
This work was supported in part by the Research Project GA101/08/0299
and also by the Research Project GD101/08/H068.
J. Vack is with the University of West Bohemia, Faculty of Mechanical
Engineering, Department of Machine Design, Univerzitn 22, 306 14 Pilsen,
Czech Republic, phone: +420 377 638 272, email: jvacik@kks.zcu.cz
R.Kottner is with the University of West Bohemia, Faculty of Applied
Sciences, Department of Mechanics, Univerzitn 22, 306 14 Pilsen, Czech
Republic, phone: +420 377 632 373, email: kottner@kme.zcu.cz
V.Laov is with University of West Bohemia, Faculty of Mechanical
Engineering, Department of Machine Design, Univerzitn 22, 306 14 Pilsen,
Czech Republic, phone: +420 377 638 200, email: lasova@kks.zcu.cz
(CLD) consists of one or more layers of viscoelastic material
sandwiched between layers of high extensional stiffness
(Fig. 2). Damping comes from shear stress in the viscoelastic
layers created by the relative deformation of the structural
elements [1].

Fig. 1: Unconstrained layer damping treatment

Fig. 2: Constrained layer damping treatment
Research on hybrid composite structures with integrated
damping layers started in 1950. One of the most cited works
based on an analytical approach to the dynamic response of
hybrid structures was published by [2] and was followed by
many others [3], [4], [5]. These papers are derived either from
Euler-Bernoulli beam theory or the virtual work principle,
which usually lead to solving the linear homogenous 6
th
order
differential equation. The development and fast growth of
finite element method refined the prediction of the dynamic
response of damped structures. FEM software packages with
sufficient computational performance of current workstations
ensure fast and reliable selection of the proper design of
hybrid structures with enhanced damping.
II. PROBLEM FORMULATION
Many parts of machine tools may be idealized as a simple
cantilevered beam, which has a dominant flexural mode shape.
The adequate stiffness and the enhanced damping of these
parts would improve the accuracy of the machining process
and the roughness of the machined surface. Using FEM
software and the optimization cycle (Fig. 3), the best structural
design of such beam-like parts can be determined. Since the
stiffness and damping of the system are two conflicting
parameters, the Pareto algorithm was used in this work.
A representative hybrid structure was chosen for the study
a simple cantilevered beam with square tubular cross-section
consisted of 13 alternating plies of unidirectional carbon fiber
reinforced epoxy and cork composition. The thickness of
BULLETIN OF APPLIED MECHANICS 7(27), 50-53 (2011)

51
START
Parameter input values
Determination of new
parameter values
Printout of parameter
values into *.txt file
Change of model
dimensions and
re-mesh
Printout of input file
for FEM solver
FEM analysis Opening of output files
Export of important
results
Printout of output file
for OptiSlang
res = min
cycles > max
Pareto front plot
END
OptiSlang
MSC Mentat
Matlab
MSC Marc
MSC Mentat
NO YES

Fig. 3: Optimization cycle
each ply was 0.5 mm. The CFRP material was considered
orthotropic and homogenous. The fiber orientation of CFRP
layers was identical to the beam axis. The cork composition
was considered isotropic and homogenous. The geometry of
the beam is shown in Fig. 4. The dimensions of the beam and
mechanical properties of the material under consideration are
listed in Table I, Table II and Table III. The values of damping
ratios were set based on previously published work [6].
Although such structure has no tangible basis and is even
impossible to manufacture, this theoretical study should help
to understand the effect of damping layers. The neglect of
variable fibre orientations reduces the number of optimization
input parameters and simplifies the analysis of results. The
earlier work [6] is followed, in which the model of the square
tube with different fiber orientations within the layers was
compared with the existing identical tube.
This work serves as a basis for future, more complex
optimization of manufacturable structure applied in the design
of a headstock.

Fig. 4: Geometry of the beam
Table I: Dimensions of the beam
l [mm] l
s
[mm] a [mm] r [mm]
1355 125 90 10
Table II: Mechanical properties of cork composition
Cork composition Amorim ACM87
Youngs modulus E
k
2.5 [GPa]
Poissons ratio
k
0.3 [-]
Density
k
740 [kg/m
3
]
Damping ratio
k
0.112 [-]
Table III: Mechanical properties of CFRP
Carbon fiber reinforced epoxy K63712 fibers
Longitudinal modulus E
1
280
[GPa] Transverse modulus E
2
3.5
Shear modulus G
12
1.7
Poissons ratio

12
0.38 [-]

23
0.38 [-]
Density
c
1470 [kg/m
3
]
Damping ratio
c
0.003 [-]
III. NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS
For the purpose of optimization, the full-parametric
numerical model was created using MSC Marc software. The
chosen representative geometry was modeled using 8-node
isoparametric brick elements. Each ply of the hybrid structure
was represented by one particular layer of elements in the
thickness direction. The finite element model and applied
boundary condition can be seen in Fig. 5. The system was
excited by the deflection of the free end of the beam.

Fig. 5: FEM model and boundary conditions
The equivalent of Rayleigh damping was considered for the
numerical simulations. The equation of motion of a system
with multiple degrees of freedom may be expressed as:
() (1)
where () [

()

()

()]

is a vector of
generalized coordinates, () [

()

()

()]

is a
vector of externally applied loads, [

] is a mass
matrix, [

] is a damping matrix and [

] is a
stiffness matrix.

r
l
s

l
Monitored point
a
r
BULLETIN OF APPLIED MECHANICS 7(27), 50-53 (2011)

52
In the case of Rayleigh damping, the damping matrix is
given by:
[] [] [] (2)
where and are pre-defined constants [7].
The major advantage gained from converting the damping
matrix into an equivalent Rayleigh damping lies in the fact
that using orthogonal transformation a structure having n
degrees of freedom can be reduced to n-number of uncoupled
equations. After orthogonal transformation and simplification
of (2) it can be inferred that:

(3)
where

is the i
th
modal damping ratio and

is the i
th
natural
damped frequency of the system. A typical plot of the (3) is
shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 6: Variation of damping ratio with natural frequency of a system [7]
In many practical structural problems, the damping (or
mass damping) which represents friction damping may be
ignored ( ). In such cases, the damping can be
evaluated from known values of and which represents
material structural damping [8].
One has to choose the most dominant frequency active in
that load step to calculate [9] and the Eq.(3) transforms to:

(4)
If the values of damping ratios do not exceed 0.12, the
difference between undamped natural frequency

and
damped natural frequency is less than 1%. Since the
damping ratio of each component of hybrid composite was
assumed to be a constant and its value was less than 0.12, the
Rayleigh constants of the hybrid composite components were
determined as:

(5)
where

is the damping ratio of the hybrid composite

component (CFRP or cork composition) and

is the
undamped natural frequency of the entire hybrid structure
determined by modal analysis.
Three subsequent FE analyses were needed in each
optimization cycle Fig. 7. Firstly, the modal analysis was
performed for the undamped natural frequency of flexure
wave-shape determination. Then, the -coefficients computed
according to (5) were added to the FE model and the constant
deflection of the free end of the beam was induced. The static
bending stiffness was derived from the reaction force in the
fixation. After the transient analysis, the plot of free harmonic
oscillations of the monitored point was obtained. The data was
processed using a special Matlab script [10].
IV. RESULTS
The number of damping layers and their location were
optimized for a cantilevered square tube. For sufficient rigidity
of the inner and outer surface of the tube, the first and the last
plies were assumed to be composite within the optimization.
The aim was to maximize the fundamental natural frequency
, the damping ratio of the flexural wave-shape and the
static stiffness

of the tube. Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 show the Pareto

front plots after the 13th generation of optimization. C is the
composite layer and D is the damping layer. The description
of the structure in square brackets [] begins from the inner
surface of the tube.
Undamped
natural
frequencies
Determination
of i
Modal analysis Static analysis Transient analysis
Undamped natural
frequency 0,h
Static bending stiffness
Damping ratio and
damped natural
frequency h
Initial
deflection of
free end
History plot of
free harmonic
oscillations
Data processing by
LSQM fitting
FEM ANALYSES

Fig. 7: FE analyses used throughout the optimization cycle
Natural Frequency
D
a
m
p
i
n
g

R
a
t
i
o

BULLETIN OF APPLIED MECHANICS 7(27), 50-53 (2011)

53

Fig. 8: Pareto front, damping ratio vs. frequency plot



Fig. 9: Pareto front, damping ratio vs. static bending stiffness
As can be seen in Fig. 8, the more damping layers are
integrated in the structure, the higher damping ratio can be
achieved. Unfortunately, the increased number of damping
layers lowers the investigated natural frequency hand in hand
with flexural stiffness (a mutual trend is obvious from Fig. 8
and Fig. 9). Nevertheless, even a small number of damping
layers at the eligible positions can positively influence the
damping ratio of entire structure, while the necessary stiffness
can be retained.
For example, the [C|C|C|C|D|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C] design with
only one damping layer shows almost the same damping as
the [C|D|D|D|D|D|D|D|D|D|D|D|C] design but with much
higher natural frequency. As opposite, the similar
[C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|D|C|C] design yields 3 times worse
damping. Furthermore, the [C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|D|C|C|C],
[C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|D|C|C|C|C] and
[C|C|C|C|C|D|C|C|C|C|C|C|C] designs are almost the same in
stiffness but differ from 0.017 to 0.007 in damping ratio.
V. CONCLUSION
The optimum number and the placement of damping layers
in the fictitious hybrid composite square tube was investigated
using finite element analysis and Pareto frontier approach. The
aim was to maximize the damping ratio, the fundamental
natural frequency of flexural wave-shape and the static
stiffness.
It is obvious from the results of optimization that the
behavior of a hybrid composite structure is strongly influenced
by the number and location of the damping layers. At the
present stage of investigation of hybrid structures, the obtained
results cannot be summarized into simple, generally true
design-recommendations. The Pareto front plots can provide a
helpful guide when a certain damping ratio and fundamental
natural frequency or static bending stiffness is needed for a
particular application. Not only the placement of the damping
layers and their thicknesses but also the materials used and the
fiber orientations of a composite offer a great challenge for
future research of hybrid composite structures.
VI. REFERENCES
[1] Balkema, Kimberly J. Design and Analysis of Constrained Layer
Damping Treatments for Bending and Torsion. Ohio : Air Force
Institute of Technology, 1994. Ph.D Thesis.
[2] Ross, D., Ungar, E. E. and Kerwin, E. M. Jr. Damping of Plate
Flexural Vibrations by Means of Viscoelastic Laminate.In Structural
Damping. ASME (Ed.) New York: ASME, 1959. pp. 49-88.
[3] DiTaranto, R.A. Theory of Vibratory Bending for Elastic and
Viscoelastic Layered Finite-Length Beams. In Journal of Applied
Mechanics. 1965, vol. 32, pp. 881-886.
[4] Mead, D.J. and Markus, S. The Forced Vibration of a Three-Layer
Damped Sandwich Beam with Arbitrary Boundary Conditions. In
Journal of Sound and Vibration. 1969, vol. 10, pp. 163-175.
[5] Yan, M.J. and Dowell, E.H. Governing Equation for Vibrating
Constrained-Layer Damping Sandwich Plates and Beams.In Journal of
Applied Mechanics. 1972, vol. 39, pp. 1041-1046.
[6] Kottner, R., Vack, J. and Zemk, R. Improvement of Damping
Properties of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Laminated Plastics Using
Damping Layers. In Proceedings of the 18
th
Conference on Materials
and Technology 15-17 November, 2010 Portoroz, Slovenia.
[7] Chowdhury, Indrajit. Computation of Rayleigh Damping Coefficients
for Large Systems. The Electronic Journal of Geotechnical
Engineering [online]. 2003, vol. 8 [cited on 2011-11-19].
<http://www.ejge.com/2003/JourTOC8C.htm>.
[8] Vack, J., et al. Experimental Determination of Damping
Characteristics of Hybrid Composite Structure. In Conference
Proceedings: Experimentln analza napt 31 May-3 June, 2010
Velk Losiny. Olomouc: Univerzita Palackho v Olomouci, 2010. pp.
483-490.
[9] Cai, C., et al. Modeling of Material Damping Properties in Ansys. In
CADFEM Users Meeting & ANSYS Conference Proceedings, 9-11
October, 2002 Friedrichshafen, Germany.
[10] ANSYS Academic Research. Release 12, Help System, Structural
Analysis Guide, ANSYS Inc.
1
/

[
-
]

1000/c
s
[mm.N
-1
]
[C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|D|C|C|C]
[C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|D|C|C|C|C]
[C|C|C|C|C|C|D|C|C|D|D|C|C]
[C|C|C|C|C|D|C|C|C|C|C|C|C]
[C|C|C|C|D|C|C|C|C|D|C|D|C]
[C|C|D| D|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C]
[C|D|D|D|C|C|C|D|C|C|C|C|C]
[C|C|C|D|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C]
1
/

[
-
]

1000/f [Hz
-1
]
[C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C]
[C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|D|C|C]
[C|C|C|C|C|C|C|D|C|D|C|C|C]
[C|C|C|C|C|D|D|C|C|D|D|C|C]
[C|C|C|C|D|C|D|C|D|D|D|C|C]
[C|C|C|C|D|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C]
[C|C|D|C|D|C|C|C|C|C|D|D|C]
[C|C|D|D|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|C]
[C|D|D|D|D|D|D|D|D|D|D|D|C]
[C|D|D|D|C|C|C|C|C|C|C|D|C]
]