Multiscale modeling of vibration damping response of shape memory polymer fibers

Health of a structure under vibration loads is highly related to the damping characteristics of the system. This work explores an engineered smart Shape Memory Polymer Fiber (SMPF) system that is capable of adjusting its damping capabilities based on applied load frequency and temperatures. A SMPF based structure with smart vibration/damping capability is of interest to many industries including aerospace, automotive and biomedical sectors. SMPFs enable structure engineers to incorporate smart functionality into their design through programming or training of SMPFs. While SMPF structural applications in the case of static loadings have been studied, the application of SMPFs in mitigating vibration responses of a structure has not been fully addressed in the research arena. The vibration damping response of a SMPF material system is studied with a goal to design damping response of smart structures that can mitigate severe vibrations. In this work vibration damping response of a SMPF bundle is experimentally studied through Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) machine, and a numerical model is developed to correlate the loss/storage moduli to the damping/stiffness characteristics of the SMPF system. The model is then applied to study forced vibration responses of SMPFs. DMA data are utilized to verify the performance of the proposed model. The presented experimental data and the numerical model provide insight into vibration damping application of SMPFs in smart structures.