Dynamic Flexural Testing of Timoshenko Composite Beams

The analyses used for measuring damping of a Bernoulli-Euler beam in steady-state flexural vibration are extended to include the general case of Timoshenko beams where no simplifying assumptions regarding the shearing deflections are made. Since the steady-state damping tests of beams, especially those with high lateral stiffness, normally involve attaching the actuator and the sensor to the beam, these equations take into account any mass that might be attached to the beam. Equations so developed can be used for predicting the damping in sandwich beams given the damping characteristics of their constituent parts.