The material loss factor and modulus of damping materials are useful in designing measures to control vibration in structures and the sound that is radiated by those structures, especially at resonance. This test method determines the properties of a damping material by indirect measurement using damped cantilever beam theory. By applying beam theory, the resultant damping material properties are made independent of the geometry of the test specimen used to obtain them. These damping material properties can then be used with mathematical models to design damping systems and predict their performance prior to hardware fabrication. These models include simple beam and plate analogies as well as finite element analysis models.

This test method has been found to produce good results when used for testing materials consisting of one homogeneous layer. In some damping applications, a damping design may consist of two or more layers with significantly different characteristics. These complicated designs must have their constituent layers tested separately if the predictions of the mathematical models are to have the highest possible accuracy.

1.1 This test method measures the vibration-damping properties of materials: the loss factor, η, and Young's modulus, E, or the shear modulus, G. Accurate over a frequency range of 50 to 5000 Hz and over the useful temperature range of the material, this method is useful in testing materials that have application in structural vibration, building acoustics, and the control of audible noise. Such materials include metals, enamels, ceramics, rubbers, plastics, reinforced epoxy matrices, and woods that can be formed to cantilever beam test specimen configurations.

1.2 This standard does not purport to address all the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.