Hal Amick and Paulo J. M. Monteiro

Several settings arise in the design of vibration control for sophisticated spaces in which it would be desirable to significantly increase the material damping of concrete, primarily to reduce resonant response. The paper presents an overview of a recent study addressing the various means by which concrete damping can be increased. A variety of methodologies are discussed, and the most efficacious approaches are examined in some detail. The easiest approach involves the introduction of polymer admixtures into the concrete when it is mixed. However, the resulting dynamic properties become dependent upon both temperature and frequency, and these must be considered when selecting the appropriate polymers to use. Experimental results are summarized, and some of the appropriate applications (as well as the limitations) of polymer usage are presented.

 

Reprinted from Proceedings of SPIE Conference 5933: Buildings for Nanoscale Research and Beyond, San Diego, CA, July 31 to August 1, 2005