Critical Damping Calculator

What Is Critical Damping?

Critical damping is the minimum damping that prevents oscillation in a spring-mass system. A critically damped system returns to equilibrium as fast as possible without overshooting — ideal for door closers, car suspension tuning, and instrument design.

Critical Damping Formula

\(\gamma_c\) is the critical damping coefficient (N·s/m), \(k\) is the spring constant (N/m), and \(m\) is mass (kg). When the actual damping equals \(\gamma_c\), the system is critically damped.

Example: a 1 kg mass on a 100 N/m spring has \(\gamma_c = 2\sqrt{100 \times 1} = 20\) N·s/m.

Damping Regimes

Underdamped systems (\(\gamma < \gamma_c\)) oscillate before settling. Overdamped systems (\(\gamma > \gamma_c\)) return slowly without oscillation. Critical damping sits exactly at the boundary for the fastest non-oscillatory response.