Experimental measurement of the complex Young’s modulus on a CFRP laminate considering the constant hysteretic damping model

When considering structural loss in vibration problems, the Young’s modulus is a complex value that may be defined in the Argand plane as the vectorial sum of the real part of the Young’s modulus itself and the loss modulus. By performing simple quasi-static force–displacement tests in a universal testing machine it is possible to experimentally measure the complex elastic modulus of a material, even if the loss factor is very small. In this work, the authors present the experimental results of the complex Young’s modulus measurements on a specimen of a quasi-isotropic carbon fibre reinforced laminate, considering the constant hysteretic damping model. The setup is fully described and results are presented in detail, giving a special attention to the experimental problems so that this work can become a useful contribution for further studies.