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What values should I enter for stiffness and mass proportional damping coefficients?

Using mass and stiffness proportional damping results in a critical damping ratio that varies with frequency according to:

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\xi_n = \frac{1}{2 \omega_n} \eta + \frac{\omega_n}{2} \delta

where

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    \xi_n

    is the critical damping ratio
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    \eta

    is the mass proportional damping coefficient, and
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    \delta

    is the stiffness proportional damping coefficient
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    \omega_n

    is circular frequency (
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    \omega_n = 2 \pi f_n

    )

Usually the values of

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\eta

and

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\delta

are selected so that the critical damping ratio is given at two known frequencies. For example, you may specify 5% damping (

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\xi = 0.05

) at

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\omega_i = \omega_1

(first natural frequency of the structure), and at

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\omega_j = 188.5

(30 Hz). It is up to you, the engineer, to make this choice. According to the equation above, the critical damping ratio will be smaller between these two frequencies, and larger outside of them.

The two Rayleigh damping factors *

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\eta

* and *

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\delta

* can be evaluated by the solution of a pair of simultaneous equations if the damping ratios

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\xi_i

and

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\xi_j

associated with two specific frequencies (modes)

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\omega_i

and

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\omega_j

are known. Mathematically,

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((\xi_i),(\xi_j)) =
1/2 [[1/\omega_i, \omega_i], [1/\omega_j, \omega_j]]
((\eta), (\delta))

SAP2000 allows you to specify \eta and \delta directly, or to specify the critical damping ratio at two different frequencies (f, Hz) or periods (T, sec).

References:

Damping

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