Analysis of influence of fibre type and orientation on dynamic properties of polymer laminates for evaluation of their damping and self-heating

In the following study, the dynamic behaviour of polymer laminates reinforced by glass and carbon fibres with different orientations was considered for several excitation frequencies and elevated temperatures. The obtained dynamic moduli, loss factors and glass-transition temperatures were used for the evaluation of damping capabilities and the self-heating phenomenon. In order to evaluate the influence of a fibre type, additional studies for a pure matrix were carried out and used in the analysis as the reference. The obtained results show significant differences both in thermal and dynamic mechanical properties with respect to a fibre type and its orientation, which has a direct influence on the analysed self-heating and damping phenomena. The results of the present study could be used for the design of composite properties with respect to thermal degradation resulting from coupled thermomechanical loading conditions. Several hypotheses on the influence of a heating rate on estimation of the thermomechanical properties as well as structural degradation of composites in such conditions were presented with appropriate discussion and argumentation. The present study has a preliminary character. Furthermore, it is planned to perform such tests for specimens with a low cross-linking degree in order to analyse its influence on the resulting thermomechanical response of fibre-reinforced composite structures.