The effect of volume percent and morphology of phases on the damping behavior of epoxy/aluminum composites

Abstract

In this investigation, the finite element method (FEM) has been employed to predict the effects of volume percent and morphology, including size, shape, and continuity of phases, on damping behavior of epoxy/Al composites. It is shown that for a given volume percent of phases, the loss factor of the composite increases with an increase in particle size. The effect of matricity was obtained by selecting a composite with 50 vol pct of each phase and arranging, in one case, aluminum as the particle phase and, in the other case, aluminum as the matrix phase. The loss factor obtained for the former was found to be much higher. This was attributed to the ability of the epoxy phase when it is in the form of matrix to damp/deform relatively freely. The normal stress distributions and two-dimensional (2-D) hydrostatic stress distributions were also predicted. In general, the stresses were found to be higher in the stiffer aluminum phase and the stress gradients were found to increase with an increase in particle size for a given volume percent of phases. The 2-D hydrostatic stresses were also found to be higher in the stiffer aluminum phase and the stress gradients were found to increase with an increase in particle size as well.