Fabrication, Testing, and Modeling of Carbon Nanotube Composites for Vibration Damping

Abstract

In this research, carbon nanotube (CNT) composite with epoxy resin is fabricated. The dynamic properties of the nanotube composites are evaluated. A testing apparatus for obtaining dynamic properties of composites is set up, and measurement procedures are given. In particular, the loss factors together with stiffness are measured for the specimens with different CNT weight ratios. Experimental results show that CNT additive can provide the composite with several times higher damping as compared with pure epoxy. A composite unit cell model containing a single CNT segment is developed by using the finite element method. Composite loss factors are calculated based on the average ratio of the unit cell energy loss to the unit cell energy input. Calculated loss factors under different strain are compared with experimental data. With the validated model, a parametric study is subsequently performed. Parameters, such as CNT dimension and CNT alignment orientation, are studied. The factors that lead to higher composite damping capacity are identified.