A new technique for the characterization of viscoelastic materials: Theory, experiments and comparison with DMA

In this paper we present a theoretical and experimental study aimed at characterizing the hysteretic properties of viscoelastic materials. In the last decades viscoelastic materials have become a reference for new technological applications, which require lightweight, deformable but ultra-tough structures. The need to have a complete and precise knowledge of their mechanical properties, hence, is of utmost importance. The presented study is focused on the dynamics of a viscoelastic beam, which is both experimentally investigated and theoretically characterized by means of an accurate analytical model. In this way it is possible to fit the experimental curves to determine the complex modulus. Our proposed approach enables the optimal fitting of the viscoelastic modulus of the material by using the appropriate number of relaxation times, on the basis of the frequency range considered. Moreover, by varying the length of the beams, the frequency range of interest can be changed/enlarged. Our results are tested against those obtained with a well established and reliable technique as compared with experimental results from the Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), thus definitively establishing the feasibility, accuracy and reliability of the presented technique.