CONTINUOUS WAVE COMPOSITE VISCOELASTIC ELEMENTS AND STRUCTURES

摘要

Fiber-reinforced composite structures and applications that exhibit inherent damping with little or no sacrifice in the strength and that make use of wavy fiber patterns (1, 3) in the plane of the composite laminate (1, 2, 3). The invention includes the methods and apparatus for manufacturing the wavy composite material, and the use of the material in the construction of practical structures and devices. The fabrication of the wavy fiber pre-preg (fibers preimpregnated with epoxy resin as an example) can be accomplished with an automated control system that permits the creation of non-periodic or mixed wave forms. Combined with conventional laminate structures and/or materials (7), these wavy composite materials allow the design engineer to 'tune' the dynamics (e.g. damping, stiffness) of the structural member. The use of wavy patterns (1, 3) in the laminate is not limited to the use of traditional epoxies but may also be used in conjunction with specialized matrix materials having inherent viscoelastic properties.