Development of CFRP/damping-material laminates

New materials, that possess high damping characteristics and high strength properties, have been studied in carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). T hese materials are referred to as CFRP/damping-material laminates in this p aper. The CFRP/damping-material laminates investigated here are composed of unidirectional carbon/epoxy prepreg sheet and polyethylene based damping m aterial sheet, which is used as an interleaf. Cantilever beam tests reveale d the high damping properties of these laminates. Loss factor Values for th ese composites are from 5 to 50 times as large as those for conventional CF RP. These values could be predicted by using an analysis based on a constra ined layer treatment for all but two specimen types, which exhibited high d amping properties under longitudinal vibration. The interleaving effect on mechanical strength is also presented.