Investigation of the damping effectiveness of particle damper integrated structures design produced by laser powder bed fusion under different boundary conditions

Abstract

Particle damper (PD) technology has been increasingly adopted as a passive damping mechanism in structures to minimize vibrations and improve their performance. This technology is particularly advantageous due to its design simplicity, low cost, and applicability in harsh conditions, making it an attractive alternative to traditional damping techniques. The production of structures with integrated PDs using additive manufacturing, particularly the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process, has become increasingly studied in recent times. This approach eliminates the need for external dampers to be implemented into the structure, simplifying the design process and reducing costs. However, in order to fully utilize the potential of PDs, a deeper understanding of their dynamic behavior is required. To this end, a study is conducted to investigate the impacts of integrated PDs on the dynamic behavior of additively manufactured structures. The study examined 16 different cases of integrated PDs with different sizes, numbers, and positions on the structure. For example, PDs with different total volumes were designed and located at various positions in the structure to understand the size and position impact on the dynamic behavior at the first and second modes of the structure. Hammer impact tests were performed on the additively manufactured samples to calculate the frequency response functions (FRFs). The modal parameters such as the natural frequency and damping ratio were obtained using the rational fraction polynomial (RFP) method. According to the findings, the damping performance of the parts was improved up to 10 times by using body-integrated PDs compared to the fully fused specimen. It was also observed that the effectiveness of body-integrated PDs depend significantly on the volume and spatial location. For instance, damping was generally increased when the volume fraction was increased. This increase in volume fraction also reduced the total weight of the specimens by up to 60 g. Moreover, the damping performance significantly increased for a specific mode if the PDs were located around the maximum displacement regions. Another design group was created to investigate the boundary conditions. The samples in this group were tested with both free-free and fixed-free boundary conditions. According to the results, although higher results were obtained for the fixed-free boundary conditions for the first mode, it was revealed that there are many parameters to be investigated such as mode shapes and system dampings. The findings of this study are of great significance to the manufacturing industry as they provide insights into the potential benefits of using integrated PDs in structures. With the ability to reduce vibrations and improve performance, structures incorporating PDs can be designed to fulfill the particular requirements of various industries such as aerospace, automotive, and civil engineering. Additionally, the study highlights the potential of additive manufacturing to produce structures with integrated PDs. With the flexibility of the powder bed fusion process, designers can easily incorporate PDs into their designs, without the need for external dampers. This approach not only simplifies the design process but also reduces costs, making it an attractive alternative to traditional damping techniques. It is worth noting that while the results of this study are promising, additional researches are required to fully understand the dynamic behavior of structures with integrated PDs. Future studies should focus on optimizing the size, shape, and location of PDs to achieve maximum damping performance. Moreover, research is required to investigate the effectiveness of integrated PDs on other modes of the structure, as well as on structures subjected to different loads and operating conditions. In conclusion, the use of particle damper technology in structures has the potential to improve their performance and reduce vibrations. By incorporating PDs into structures using additive manufacturing, designers can achieve greater design flexibility and reduce costs. However, further research is needed to fully realize the potential of this technology and optimize the design of structures with integrated PDs.