An electronic instrument for the measurement of the damping capacity of materials
Andrew D Smith · Journal of Scientific Instruments · 1951
An instrument has been designed which provides a simple means of measuring the damping capacities of materials vibrating at frequencies from about 50 c/s to 10 000 c/s. The principle of operation is that the time taken for the amplitude of vibration to fall to half its value during free decay is measured, by means of a circuit which transmits two pulses to a standard electronic timing instrument at the appropriate moments. The apparatus may be used to measure the rate of decay of any vibration provided that it is exponential and the frequency is in the specified range.