Active and Passive Vibration Damping

11Nanoparticle Damping Composites

11.1 Introduction

Modeling of the viscoelastic material (VEM) properties of composites consisting of a polymer matrix filled with nanoparticles is essential for predicting the behavior of these composites for different volumetric fractions and physical properties of the constituents. Examples of the nanomaterials include nanotubes and nanoparticles, such as those shown in Figure 11.1. Among the important nanomaterials that can significantly impact the damping characteristics of polymer composites are carbon nanotubes, carbon black (CB) particles, and piezoelectric particles (Aldraihem 2011; Aldraihem et al. 2007).

Figure 11.1 Different types of nanoscale inclusions.

The modeling techniques of the viscoelastic properties of the polymeric composite materials aim primarily at reducing the heterogeneous composite medium to an equivalent homogenous, anisotropic continuum as illustrated in Figure 11.2. The development approaches of the equivalent properties of the homogenous medium from the geometrical and physical properties of the constituents of the microstructure belong to the well‐established fields of “micromechanics” and “homogenization.”

Figure 11.2 Equivalent homogenous, anisotropic continuum for a heterogeneous particle‐filled composite. ...