INTEGRATED DAMPING MECHANICS FOR THICK COMPOSITE LAMINATES AND PLATES

A method for predicting the damped dynamic characteristics of thick co mposite laminates and plates is presented. Unified damping mechanics r elate the damping of composite plates to constituent properties, fiber volume ratio, fiber orientation, laminate configuration, plate geomet ry, temperature, and moisture. Discrete layer damping mechanics for th ick laminates, entailing piecewise continuous displacement fields and including the effects of interlaminar shear damping, are described. A semi-analytical method for predicting the modal damping and natural fr equencies of thick simply-supported specially composite plates is incl uded. Applications demonstrate the validity, merit, and ranges of appl icability of the new theory. The applications further illustrate the s ignificance of interlaminar shear damping, and investigate the effects of lamination, thickness aspect ratio, fiber content, and temperature .