Modeling thick composite laminate and sandwich structures with linear viscoelastic damping

The paper describes the modeling of thick composite laminate and sandwich plates and beams with linear viscoelastic treatments. A discrete laminate model (DLM) is described, validated and compared to numerical spectral finite elements method (SFEM), finite element method (FEM) and experimental results. The DLM approach assumes each layer as thick laminate with orthotropic orientation, rotational inertia and transversal shearing, membrane and bending deformations. First order shear deformation theory is used. The equation of motion is developed following a wave approach based on discrete layer description. It handles symmetrical and asymmetrical layouts of unlimited number of transversal incompressible layers. Next, dilatational (symmetric mode) motion along the core’s thickness is considered to complete the DLM solution when applied to the case of symmetric sandwich structures with soft and thick core. The model is compared to a second approach employing spectral finite elements. The latter handles composite laminated plates and beams with orthotropic orientation. It is shown that both approaches estimate accurately the propagating wave solutions of laminated structures. Using these solutions, the input mobility and the mechanical impedance are computed. The two models are successfully compared to classical finite elements as well as to experimental results for different boundary conditions. Moreover, the equivalent damping loss factor of composite laminate plates with viscoelastic treatment is addressed and the influence of the heading direction is discussed.