Vibration Damping Applications with Cork Composites

Cork composites, which are made from natural cork with other materials to increase their performance, have recently been considered for vibration damping applications. This chapter provides an overview of cork composites, emphasizing their structure, properties, manufacturing methods, and applications. We also present a case study on the vibration behavior of three distinct types of cork composites: fine-grained agglomerated cork, VC1001, and VCPAD5051. Fine-grained cork, with its unique cellular structure, exhibits greater stiffness, damping, and natural frequency characteristics than other composites. VC1001, a combination of cork and natural rubber, offers a balance between damping and stiffness, while VCPAD5051, a combination of cork and polymer matrix, shows intermediate properties.