Effects of Fiber Volume Fraction on Damping Properties of Three-Dimensional and Five-Directional Braided Composites

The effects of fiber volume fraction on damping properties of carbon fiber three-dimensional and five-directional( 3D-5Dir)braided carbon fiber / epoxyres in composite cantilever beams were studied by experimental modal analysis method. Meanwhile,carbon fiber plain woven laminated / epoxy resin composites with different fiber volume fraction were concerned for comparison. The experimental result of braided specimens shows that the first three orders of natural frequency increase and the first three orders of the damping ratios of specimens decrease, when the fiber volume fraction increases. Furthermore,larger fiber volume fraction will be valuable for the better anti-exiting property of braided composites,and get an opposite effect on dissipation of vibration energy. The fiber volume fraction is an important factor for vibration performance design of braided composites. The comparison between the braided specimens and laminated specimens reveals that 3D braided composites have a wider range of damping properties than laminated composites with the same fiber volume fractions.