Rationale for a Standardized Vibration Damping Test Procedure for Automotive Applications

This paper discusses the importance of having an industry-wide standardized laboratory test procedure for proper evaluation of vibration damping materials, and for consistency between damping tests conducted by different test facilities. Several different vibration damping test procedures that are presently used in the automotive industry are briefly discussed. However, a test method that has been selected for a new proposed SAE Recommended Practice based on exciting a beam at various modes of vibration and at different temperatures is discussed here.

The relative superiority of this test method over other methods, the importance of selecting the most appropriate beam size, and how the damping performance should be measured for consistency and clarity are emphasized.

A round-robin test was conducted to determine the variability of the test procedure. Factors considered were type of damping material, bar mounting, and differences between laboratory instrumentation.