Effect of Seawater Exposure on Impact Damping Behavior of Viscoelastic Material of Pounding Tuned Mass Damper (PTMD)

The pounding tuned mass damper (PTMD) is a novel vibration control device that can effectively mitigate the undesired vibration of subsea pipeline structures. Previous studies have verified that the PTMD is more effective and robust compared to the traditional tuned mass damper. However, the PTMD relies on a viscoelastic delimiter to dissipate energy through impact. The viscoelastic material can be corroded by the various chemical substances dissolved in the seawater, which means that there can be possible deterioration in its mechanical property and damping ability when it is exposed to seawater. Therefore, we aim to conduct an experimental study on the impact behavior and energy dissipation of the viscoelastic material submerged in seawater in this present paper. An experimental apparatus, which can generate and measure lateral impact, is designed and fabricated. A batch of viscoelastic tapes are submerged in seawater and samples will be taken out for impact tests every month. Pounding stiffness, hysteresis loops and energy dissipated per impact cycle are employed to characterize the impact behavior of the viscoelastic material. The experimental results suggest that the seawater has little influence on the behavior of the viscoelastic tapes. Even after continuous submersion in seawater for 5 years, the pounding stiffness and energy dissipation remains at the same level.