{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.damping-ratio","code":"thing-q31975","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q31975/","name":"damping ratio","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"research-draft","version":"0.2.0-wave.2","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Cross-cutting context","entryKind":"thing","plane":"XCT","domain":["XCT.REL"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A dimensionless measure of how oscillations in a system decay after a disturbance, defined as the ratio of actual damping to critical damping, with values below one giving underdamped oscillatory response, one giving critical damping with fastest return without oscillation, and above one giving overdamped slow return; the damping ratio characterises mechanical, electrical and control systems from vehicle suspensions and building structures to circuits and feedback controllers.","purpose":"Let an agent explain the damping ratio and its definition and regimes, support calculating and estimating it from system parameters or measured response, describe its use in mechanical, electrical and control design, and support learning.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Dimensionless","Three regimes","Second-order systems","Design parameter"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What the damping ratio is.","layers":[{"id":"concept","name":"Concept","description":"Definition and regimes.","findings":[{"id":"concept-finding","name":"Concept","description":"Concept.","questions":[{"text":"What is the damping ratio, and how do underdamped, critically damped and overdamped responses differ?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which system type is meant?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"relations","name":"Relations","description":"Related quantities.","findings":[{"id":"relations-finding","name":"Relations","description":"Relations.","questions":[{"text":"How does the damping ratio relate to natural frequency, quality factor and logarithmic decrement?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits harmonic oscillators?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"calculate","name":"Calculate","description":"Calculation and measurement.","layers":[{"id":"compute","name":"Compute","description":"Computing.","findings":[{"id":"compute-finding","name":"Compute","description":"Computation.","questions":[{"text":"How can the damping ratio of this system be computed from mass, stiffness and damping or from circuit values?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which units apply?","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"measure","name":"Measure","description":"Measuring.","findings":[{"id":"measure-finding","name":"Measure","description":"Measurement.","questions":[{"text":"How can the damping ratio be estimated from a measured decaying response?","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which entry fits vibration testing?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"design","name":"Design","description":"Design use.","layers":[{"id":"mechanical","name":"Mechanical","description":"Mechanical and structural.","findings":[{"id":"mechanical-finding","name":"Mechanical","description":"Mechanical.","questions":[{"text":"How are suspensions, dampers and structures designed for target damping ratios?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits structural dynamics?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"control","name":"Control","description":"Control and electrical.","findings":[{"id":"control-finding","name":"Control","description":"Control.","questions":[{"text":"How is the damping ratio used in tuning controllers and filters?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits control theory?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"learn","name":"Learn","description":"History and teaching.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did the theory of damped oscillation develop?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"teach","name":"Teach","description":"Teaching.","findings":[{"id":"teach-finding","name":"Teach","description":"Teaching.","questions":[{"text":"How can damping be taught with experiments?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which misconceptions arise?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain the damping ratio and its underdamped, critical and overdamped regimes.","Estimate it from system parameters or measured responses, stating uncertainty.","Distinguish it from the quality factor."],"mustNot":["Present a damping estimate from noisy data as reliable without stating uncertainty.","Present a design as safe against resonance on an unverified damping value.","Change damping settings on a live structure or machine without authority.","Confuse damping ratio with quality factor or decay rate."],"requiresHuman":["Approving a structure, vehicle suspension or control system based on damping calculations."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Underdamped structures can resonate and fail; people's safety depends on correct values.","Errors in control systems can cause injuries."],"affectedParties":["People using structures and machines","Engineers","Students"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody: a physical quantity held in common.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q137974504","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"ratio of two quantities of the same kind","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"friction","type":"related","note":"a source of damping"},{"target":"mechanical stress","type":"related","note":"dynamic loads in structures"},{"target":"voltage","type":"related","note":"oscillations in electrical circuits"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.damping-ratio","Wikidata: Q31975 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q31975)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Actual damping over critical damping","Underdamped, critically damped, overdamped","The quality factor is the inverse measure; the time constant describes decay rate","Not physical; a number."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain definition and regimes","support calculation","describe design use","support learning"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Resonance in underdamped structures","Confusing damping ratio with quality factor","Misestimating damping from noisy data"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Standards for structural damping values","Vehicle and machinery vibration standards","Control system design conventions"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Ratio of actual to critical damping.","damping ratio of mechanical oscillators","damping ratio in electrical circuits","damping ratio in control systems","damping ratio of structures","estimation from logarithmic decrement"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q31975: damping ratio","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q31975","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia (de): Dämpfungsgrad","url":"https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A4mpfungsgrad","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should critical damping be a separate entry?","How should vibration standards be linked?","How should control textbooks be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q31975/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q31975/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T05:47:46Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"interaction.properties":"Plane XCT: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}