Estimation of viscous and Coulomb damping from free-vibration data by a least-squares curve-fitting analysis

The modeling and parameter estimation of a damped one-degree-of-freedom mass-spring system is examined. This paper presents a method for estimating the system parameters (damping coefficients and natural frequency) from measured free-vibration motion of a system that is modeled to include both subcritical viscous damping and kinetic Coulomb friction. The method applies a commercially available least-squares curve-fitting software function to fit the known solution of the equations of motion to the measured response. The method was tested through numerical simulation, and it was applied to experimental data collected from a laboratory mass-spring apparatus. The mass of this apparatus translates on linear bearings, which are the primary source of light inherent damping. Results indicate that the curve-fitting method is effective and accurate for both perfect and noisy measurements from a lightly damped mass-spring system.