Damping measurements of laminated composite materials and aluminum using the hysteresis loop method

The damping characteristics of composite laminates made of Hexply 8552 AGP 280-5H (fabric), used for structural elements in aeronautical vehicles, have been investigated in depth using the hysteresis loop method and compared to the results for aluminum specimens (2024 T351).It was found that the loss factor, η, obtained by the hysteresis loop method is linearly dependent only on the applied excitation frequency and is independent of the preloading and the stress amplitudes. For the test specimens used in the present tests series, it was found that the damping of the aluminum specimens is higher than the composite ones for longitudinal direction damping, while for bending vibrations the laminates exhibited higher damping values.