Mechanical behavior and vibration control mechanism of air damping devices

The vibration suppression mechanism of air damping devices and its influencing factors have not been fully elucidated. This study establishes a mechanical model to analyze the frequency-dependent behavior of the device and investigates its vibration control mechanism under harmonic excitation. Loading tests are conducted to examine factors affecting the mechanical performance. A modified theoretical formulation is subsequently proposed. Results indicate that the system response under different excitation frequencies is dominated by distinct control components, with the highest vibration reduction efficiency achieved through the coordinated action of stiffness and damping. Under harmonic excitation, the air damping device effectively suppresses resonance in SDOF systems, and increasing damping further enhances the control effect. The damping force shows positive correlations with both displacement amplitude and loading rate, although the fullness of the hysteresis loops decreases with increasing loading rate. The device exhibits significant frictional damping characteristics, and introducing a friction term into the theoretical model significantly improves its predictive accuracy for experimental hysteresis.