ACTIVE CONSTRAINED LAYER DAMPING OF THIN CYLINDRICAL SHELLS

The effectiveness of the active constrained layer damping (ACLD) treatments in enhancing the damping characteristics of thin cylindrical shells is presented. A finite element model (FEM) is developed to describe the dynamic interaction between the shells and the ACLD treatments. Experiments are performed to verify the numerical predictions. The obtained results suggest the potential of the ACLD treatments in controlling the vibration of cylindrical shells which constitute the major building block of many critical structures such as cabins of aircrafts, hulls of submarines and bodies of rockets and missiles.