Identification of polymer concrete damping properties

The damping properties of a commercial polymer concrete are the subject of this application-driven study, which is aimed to investigate the material suitability as a filler of machine bed components to limit vibrations arising in machine tools and automatic machines working at high dynamics. Two main goals are targeted: (i) quantitative evaluation of the elastodynamic effects due to the polymer concrete insertion into typical components of machine beds, in order to effectively assess its practical potential and (ii) determination of reliable models of the material, needed to simulate the dynamic response of new design solutions of machines featuring structural components filled with the polymer concrete. The paper is mainly focused on the methodological approach of both the experimental campaign and the signal processing that were carried out. Based on the promising results achieved, the possible use of the polymer concrete as a viable solution to enhance the dynamic behavior of an automatic machine is finally investigated and discussed as a case study.