Vibration damping and dynamic mechanical attributes of core-shell particles modified glass epoxy prepregs cured using microwave irradiations

Microwave curing has a tremendous potential to be used as an alternative to other thermal curing processes due to its shorter curing time and lower consumption of energy. Current research investigates the damping and dynamic mechanical characteristics of core-shell polymer (C/SH) particle modified glass fibre prepreg (GFRP) manufactured using microwave irradiations. The addition of C/SH particles has shown a significant improvement in damping and dynamic mechanical properties. The optimal areal weight per interface (AWI) for C/SH particles was established as 40 gsm. With this optimal addition, the laminates showed a 21.5% increase in mechanical loss factor, tan delta, and 52.7% in the vibration damping capability as noticed from dynamic mechanical and the forced vibration tests respectively. The underlying reasons for the improvement in properties with the addition of C/SH particles are also deliberated in this paper.