ABSTRACT
This chapter presents properties of viscoelastic composites containing spherical or platelet inclusions in terms of constituent properties. It explores the viscoelastic properties of several two-phase composites of well-defined structure, in terms of the assumed properties of the constituents. In viscoelastic composites, the curve for platelet inclusions in the stiffness-loss map is close to the Voigt and Hashin-Shtrikman upper bound curves, and corresponds to minimal damping for given composite stiffness. The composite containing soft spherical inclusions is also found to behave similarly to the Voigt composite in that a small volume fraction of soft, viscoelastic material has a comparatively small effect on the loss tangent. Plotted viscoelastic behavior of the Voigt and Reuss composites encloses a region on the stiffness-loss map, and the properties of the other composites considered lie within that region. Composites used in engineering applications may have a fibrous, cellular, or particulate structure.
