Damping Analysis of Natural Fibers and Natural Fibers Reinforced Composite

In this study, an experimental study is carried out to define the damping capacity of different natural fibers. The experimental results show that the natural fibers present greatly high damping factors in comparison with synthetic fibers and conventional metals. Thereafter, damping capacity of a composite reinforced natural fibers is analyzed by experimental tests and an analytical viscoelastic homogenization model. The results show a good agreement between the experimental results and the analytical results that the damping factor of the natural fiber reinforced composite is remarkably high and the natural reinforcement fibers contribute strongly to the damping capacity of the composite. With high specific strength, moderate specific modulus and high damping capacity, there is therefore a potential for application of natural fibers for high dynamic loading structural components in many systems.