Research on the energy dissipation mechanism of nonobstructive particle dampers based on the dense granular flow theory

To study the energy dissipation mechanism of nonobstructive particle dampers (NOPDs) and provide guidance to the application of NOPDs, the dense granular flow theory was introduced to establish a quantitative energy dissipation model for NOPDs. The convection movement of the particles under vibrational excitations was studied using the discrete element method, and the Prandtl mixing length theory was adopted to modify the constitution law of dense granular flows. The pressure of the granular flow was obtained by equivalenting the vibrational excitation to a body force acted on particles. Theoretical results showed that the energy dissipation rate of the NOPD was increased with the vibration intensity and decreased with the granular diameter. It also indicated that particles near the side wall and the bottom of the damper dissipated more energy than those particles in other regions. The theoretical model was verified by simulation and experimental result. The results may provide a new approach to studying the energy dissipation mechanism of NOPD and give some guidance to enhancing the damping performance of NOPD in engineering practices.