Friction Damping of Hollow Airfoils: Part I—Theoretical Development

The quest for higher performance engines in conjunction with the requirement for lower life cycle costs has resulted in stage configurations that are more susceptible to high cycle fatigue. One solution is the use of innovative approaches that introduce additional mechanical damping. The present paper describes an approach that may be used to assess the benefits of friction dampers located within internal cavities of a hollow structure. The friction dampers used in this application are often relatively thin devices that, if unconstrained, have natural frequencies in the same range as the natural frequencies of the hollow airfoil. Consequently, the analytical approach that is developed is distinct in that it has to take into account the dynamic response of the damper and how it changes as the amplitude of the vibration increases. In this paper, results from the analytical model are compared with independently generated results from a time integration solution of a three mass test problem. Results from the analytical model are compared with experimental data in a companion paper.