Advanced Joining Concepts for Passive Vibration Control

Passively damped joints, in which the conventional adhesives are replaced by high damping viscoelastic materials, have the potential of being effective practical means for passive vibration control of dynamically loaded civil and aerospace structures. However, this potential cannot be realized unless the associated structural penalties are reduced to acceptable limits. This paper describes a rational methodology for the development of advanced joining concepts for structural systems capable of providing enhanced dissipation of vibrational energy without serious penalties in strength, stiffness, or weight characteristics. One such configuration is that of a rhombic‐type joint, which provides a beneficial deformation coupling between the direction of load transfer and less critical offset directions. A comprehensive parametric study has been carried out in order to establish design guidelines for favorable trade‐offs between damping benefits and the associated stiffness, strength, and weight penalties in a rhombic joint. The results are compared with the corresponding trade‐offs for a double‐lap joint made of the same materials.