Transient response analysis of structures made from viscoelastic materials

The response of structures made from viscoelastic materials to transient excitations is studied using the Þnite element method. The viscoelastic material behaviour is represented by the complex modulus model. An e¦cient method using fast Fourier transform has been developed. This method is based on the trigonometrical representation of the input signals and matrix of the transfer functions. The present implementation gives the possibility to preserve exactly the frequency dependence of the storage and loss moduli of materials. On this reason this time-domain representation is a mathematically correct way to avoid the non-causal e¤ect. Test problems and numerical examples are given to demonstrate the validity and e¤ectiveness of the approach suggested in this paper. Copyright