Representative mechanical techniques for enhancing strains and consequently energy dissipation in viscoelastic layers applied to structures are described. In the familiar constrained damping treatment the viscoelastic layer is bonded to a shear strain‐enhancing light metal facing. Other configurations described here utilize inertia as well as elastic forces to enhance both compressive and shear strains, thereby also acting as tuned dynamic absorbers. Stave damping treatment calls for a viscoelastic layer sandwiched between a pipe or beam and parallel metal rods. A recent generalization of this concept consists in dispersing small metal spheres or rods, preferably of varying size, through a relatively thick viscoelastic layer bonded to one plate or sandwiched between two plates.

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