Damping of post-impact vibrations

Abstract Impacts of solid bodies on rigid plates produce loud noise and strong vibrations. During this impact, flexural waves travel circularly outwards from the point of impact. These waves are used to determine the properties of the impacting body. For accurate location and momentum measurements, it is necessary that the set of flexural waves pass acceleration sensors just once without being disturbed by reflections. Different plate designs are tested with the aim of evaluating the shape, which offers the best damping properties against strong single impacts. The investigations showed that the damping properties are significantly better if the plates are of a star-shaped design and feature a damping layer. The work offers a solution to achieve significantly better damping properties and a better signal for the investigation of impacts. The results demonstrate that it is a promising approach for an impact detection system, which could be equally applicable to acoustic damping applications.