ANALYSIS OF HIGH-LOSS VISCOELASTIC COMPOSITES

A theoretical study of the viscoelastic properties of composites is presented with the aim of identifying structures which give rise to a combination of high stiffness and high loss tangent. Laminates with Voigt and Reuss structures, as well as composite materials attaining the Hashin-Shtrickman bounds on stiffness were evaluated by the correspondence principle. Similarly, viscoelastic properties of composites containing spherical or platelet inclusions were explored. Reuss laminates and platelet-filled materials composed of a stiff, low-loss phase and a compliant high-loss phase were found to exhibit high stiffness combined with a high loss tangent.