scope:

The term "damping" as used in this Standard is restricted to those properties of a material that are related to the process of cyclic energy dissipation during harmonic vibration. This definition specifically excludes: energy transfer devices such as dynamic absorbers; external damping processes such as viscous damping, air-damping, or acoustic radiation; and energy dissipation during transient or random vibration.

This standard presents the preferred nomenclature (parameters, symbols, definitions, and mathematical expressions) for specifying the damping properties of uniform materials and uniform specimens, where "uniform" implies homogeneity on a macroscopic scale. For reference purposes, certain non-standard damping parameters are discussed in Annex A. Also included is a classification of damping test parameters (Annex B).

The primary purpose for this standard is to improve communications among the many technological fields concerned with material damping.