Effect of an axial pre-load on the flexural vibrations of viscoelastic beams

Polymers are ultra-versatile materials that adapt to a myriad of applications, as they can be designed appropriately for specific needs. The realization new compounds, however, requires the appropriate experimental characterizations, also from mechanical point view, which is typically carried out by analyzing vibrations beams, but still have some unclear aspects, with respect well-known dynamics elastic beams. To address this shortcoming, paper deals theoretical modeling viscoelastic beam and pursues elucidation underlying how flexural may affected when an axial pre-load, compressive or tensile, applied. analytical model presented able shed light on peculiar behavior, strongly related frequency-dependent damping induced viscoelasticity. By considering example real polymer, is, synthetic rubber, it disclosed in certain conditions, enhance suppress oscillatory counterpart resonance peak beam, depending both frequency distribution complex modulus length beam. assessed finite element model, turns essential tool understanding exploited experimentally characterize polymeric materials, could vary enormously simply through application constraints ensued pre-loads.