Mechanical Damping Performance of Polymer Composites Reinforced by Self‐Welded Fiber Scaffolds

ABSTRACT

To address the performance trade‐off between high stiffness and high damping in polymer materials, this study proposes a novel method for fabricating damping composites based on self‐welded fiber scaffolds. The approach involves selectively welding polymeric welding phase (PA6) at fiber's intersection points to form a three‐dimensional fiber scaffold, followed by in situ polymerization of acrylates within the pores of the fiber scaffold to generate the damping matrix. Although the introduction of the fiber scaffold suppresses the loss factor of the matrix, it significantly enhances the storage modulus. Microstructural analysis shows uniform fiber dispersion within the scaffold before and after acrylate resin polymerization, as well as complete and uniform infiltration into the scaffold pores. Incorporating spherical fillers such as TiO ₂ and/or GB effectively modifies the fiber scaffold, improving damping performance while maintaining high modulus. Ultimately, this strategy maximizes the product of storage modulus and loss factor, achieving an effective temperature range of 45°C, surpassing the Ashby limit and attaining a compressive strength of 5 MPa, thereby offering a potential route for damping material development.