Experimental investigations of different fiber orientations on damping loss factor of fiberglass composite specimens

Abstract

The composite materials having low weight to strength ratio and easy to manufacture due to which the usage of composites for different applications has aggrandized remarkably. Statistical energy analysis is used to predict the vibrational response of the complexstructuralsystems. In the present work rectangular composite specimens have been used as an idealized subsystem. To analyse theoretically the vibrational response of these fabricated composite specimens employing glass fibers and different epoxy resins, Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) method is implemented. The SEA response majorly depends on three parameters i.e. damping loss factors, modal densities, and coupling loss factors of the subsystems. In the present study, the damping loss factors of fabricated rectangular composite laminates have been estimated by employing both theoretical and experimental approach. Furthermore an experimental investigation has been employed to observe the effect of different fiber orientations on damping loss factor of the identical composite specimens. From the obtained results it has been observed that the damping loss factor for a composite plate with unidirectional fiber orientation is greater than the plates with quasi isotropic and cross ply orientations.