Damping analysis of unidirectional glass and Kevlar fibre composites

The paper presents an extensive analysis of the damping of unidirectional fibre composites as function of frequency and fibre orientation. Damping of glass and Kevlar composites is analysed experimentally using a cantilever beam test specimen and ail impulse technique. Damping parameters are derived by fitting the experimental Fourier responses with the analytical motion responses. The experimental results are compared with literature models: Adams-Bacon analysis, Ni-Adams analysis and complex stiffness model. Next the paper presents an evaluation of the damping of unidirectional or orthotropic composites using the Ritz method, which takes account of the effect of the beam width. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.