Micromechanical models for damping in woven fabric-reinforced polymer matrix composites

This paper describes the development of a finite element model and a closed -form model for studying viscoelastic damping in woven fabric-reinforced po lymer matrix composites. The finite element model was based on the actual g eometric configuration of a plain weave fabric-reinforced composite unit ce ll, and the damping loss factors were determined from a strain energy formu lation. The closed-form model was developed by first deriving an approximat e elastic solution based on the mechanics of materials theory, then applyin g the Elastic-Viscoelastic Correspondence Principle to the elastic solution . The damping loss factors were then determined from the viscoelastic solut ion. Experiments were conducted using an impulse-frequency response techniq ue to measure damping in beam samples made of plain weave E-glass fabric-re inforced vinyl ester resin matrix composite. The predictions from both anal ytical models show reasonably good agreement with experimental data.