Effect of Temperature on Frequency and Damping Properties of Polymer Matrix Composites

The effect of temperature on natural frequency and damping is investigated in two different composite materials, Kevlar 29 fiber woven and polyethylene cloth, used especially to design ballistic armor. A damping monitoring method is used experimentally to measure the frequency response curve and it is also modeled numerically using a finite element program. The natural frequencies of a material, or a system, are a function of its elastic properties, dimensions and mass. This concept is used to calculate theoretical vibration modes of the composites. The damping properties in terms of the damping factor are determined by the half-power bandwidth technique. Numerically analyzed and experimentally measured time response curves are compared. It is seen that polymer matrix composites have temperature dependent mechanical properties. This relationship is functional and they have different effects against temperature.