Recently, impact dampers have been used to decrease the vibrations of objects. One specific case of a damper is a container filled with many spherical particles. Compressive forces, frictional forces, and impacts are generated between particles and the wall. Therefore, it is important to clarify the flow conditions of particles in order to investigate the appropriate damping conditions. However, it is difficult to experimentally observe and to calculate the complex behavior of particles in such a container. In this study, the behaviors of particles in a container of a particle damper were examined through experiments using piezoelectric elements and simulations performed by the discrete element method (DEM). Many spherical particles fill a container. The container is made to periodically move in a horizontal direction. The relationships between the collision of particles with the wall and the voltage value from the piezoelectric element were examined. With these calculations, particle behaviors and particle conditions can be analyzed. The behaviors of simulated particles were similar to those of experimental results. From both results it is shown that an appropriate selection of the filling ratio and of particle size will lead to the effect of particles for damping.

No abstract