Just an update on where things are. There will also be durability testing for heat, using a small toaster oven. I'll use an oven thermometer to get the temps accurate. The test box is being built as we speak, I sourced a local shop for the cutting, since all I have is a router. I'll cut the holes at home, and glue it hopefully by Tuesday. I'll also be getting the metal today to make the stamps. I'm going to make two, one for the actual testing, and one small one for the heat testing, that way size doesn't play a factor into heat failure. I've also ordered new capacitors for the accelerometer board, as the stock ones limited bandwidth to a -3db point of 50hz. The new ones will have a -3db point past 640hz.
Testing size is updated, the test surface total area is going to be 11"x11". The metal piece itself will be 12"x12", and the outside half inch perimeter will be used to clamp it down. The test squares will therefore be 5.5"x5.5", to maintain quarter coverage. This works out, as SDS has a 6" width, but the butyl stops a about 3/32" before the aluminum does.
I'm working out with my dad how to show the results. There may be two options, and when we confirm that, I'll post here, and want to opinions of everyone that donated. I had wanted to show loss factor using the Half Power Bandwidth Method as mentioned before in the thread, but the more I look into it, and the more I talked to my dad, the more I decided against it. The main reason being that it can only determine loss factor at the resonant frequency of the damping system, and it also seems that recently studies have shown accuracy to vary by large amounts at low frequencies, and high loss factors. To be honest, I doubt any products here will create a critically damped or over-damped system, but it will still be nice to know how close to critically damped we can get.