Nonlinear Analysis of Composite Beams with Structural Damping

In rotor blades and other structural components, many factors can lead to structural damping. It is important to consider its effect on the dynamic behavior of beams. The work presented herein goes through a detailed literature review on the models and techniques used by past researchers to include damping. The authors use a state-of-the-art dimensional reduction technique known as the Variational Asymptotic Method (VAM). VAM works by splitting the 3-D beam analysis into 2-D cross-sectional and 1-D beam analyses, yielding asymptotically exact expressions for the variables of the original 3-D problem. Damping is introduced by incorporating a Kelvin-Voigt model into the existing mixed formulation of the Geometrically Exact Beam Theory (GEBT) analysis. The developed methodology is verified by comparison with a widely used finite element analysis. Capabilities of commercially available finite element codes are described, compared and contrasted with the proposed methodology.