Creep and Mechanical Oscillator Damping

TL;DR

This paper clarifies the mechanisms of energy loss in oscillators by focusing on internal friction from secondary creep, providing a model that accurately describes how the quality factor varies with frequency.

Contribution

It introduces a corrected theoretical model emphasizing secondary creep's role in internal friction, improving understanding of damping mechanisms in oscillators.

Findings

Model accurately predicts Q variation with frequency

Highlights importance of secondary creep in damping

Provides a conceptual correction to existing friction models

Abstract

Although "friction" is included in many models of oscillator damping, including viscous ones applied to the pendulum; they "miss the mark" with regard to a conceptual understanding of the mechanisms responsible for energy loss. The theory of the present paper corrects some of these misunderstandings by considering the influence of internal friction which derives from the structural members of the oscillator through secondary rather than primary creep. The simple model properly describes the variation of Q with frequency.