The effect of the strand diameter on the damping characteristics of fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites: Theoretical and experimental study

The damping property of glass fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites with two different strand/fiber diameters, their different orientations and layups are investigated. It is found that the damping can be improved at the negligible expense of stiffness, by generating more number of interfaces, i.e., reducing the fiber diameter from 27.2 mu m to 18.3 mu m without compromising the dimensions of the composite specimen and the volume fraction of the fiber in the specimens. The natural frequencies and loss factors have been evaluated from experimental results, using the impulse technique. The same properties have also been evaluated theoretically by performing modal analysis, using Blevins' Formulas for Natural Frequency and Mode Shape, and the three phase damping analysis using Ni and Adams's the Specific Damping Capacity (SDC) model and Gu et al. 's the interfacial adhesion model in the energy dissipation relationship. A good agreement exists between the experimental and theoretical values. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.