Studies on damping characteristics of hybrid composites

Abstract This study explores the possibility of enhancing material damping in composites incorporating a viscoelastic layer within a structure. A composite plate is considered as a case study, and the focus is on analyzing diverse fiber layups involving carbon, glass, and hybrid combinations alongside a viscoelastic layer. A detailed investigation reports on the interface effect, and a comparison is made with and without interface effects. First‐order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is used, and the governing equations are derived from Hamilton's principle. The study is further extended to analyze the frequencies and loss factors of different composite configurations incorporating frequency‐dependent viscoelastic materials, considering different parametric variations. Comparative assessments aid in identifying designs with superior strength, stiffness, and damping properties, offering insights for optimal engineering configurations. Among all hybrid composite combinations, those with carbon plies at the outermost positions exhibit superior frequency performance, while those with glass plies adjacent to the viscoelastic layer provide a better loss factor. Highlights Free vibration of various sandwiched hybrid composite configurations is studied. Impact of interfacial effects on damping loss factor performance is examined. Structure is analyzed for various parameters to achieve optimal performance. Frequency‐dependent viscoelastic materials are embedded in the current study.