Characterization and Synthesis of Rayleigh Damped Elastodynamic Networks

We consider damped elastodynamic networks where the damping matrix is assumed to be a non-negative linear combination of the stiffness and mass matrices (also known as Rayleigh or proportional damping). We give here a characterization of the frequency response of such networks. We also answer the synthesis question for such networks, i.e., how to construct a Rayleigh damped elastodynamic network with a given frequency response. Our analysis shows that not all damped elastodynamic networks can be realized when the proportionality constants between the damping matrix and the mass and stiffness matrices are fixed.