Elsevier, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 3-5(303), p. 753-766
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsv.2007.02.010
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Various vibration and noise suppression applications require a high loss factor (tanδ) over a wide frequency range. Homopolymers often do not meet this requirement. However, the damping properties of polymeric composites can be modulated to achieve this goal. In this paper, we devise a simple finite element based unit cell model to calculate the effective tanδ of a composite as a function of frequency. Using this method, we show that if the relaxation times of the constituents are properly chosen, a flat tanδ response over a wide frequency range can be obtained. Inclusions with multiple layers are seen to be particularly suitable towards this end.