Low-Frequency Vibration Damping Using Ecoflex-Reinforced Fabric Composite and Macro-Fiber Composite Actuators
摘要
Low-frequency vibrations can significantly affect human comfort and health, particularly in heavy commercial vehicles where long-term exposure is common. To address this issue, this study proposes a hybrid composite material by combining Ecoflex with Warp-Knitted Spacer Fabric (WKSF), resulting in an Ecoflex-Reinforced Fabric (ERF) composite with enhanced damping performance. Five types of ERF composites were fabricated with varying Ecoflex contents and tested under sinusoidal vibrations in the 0–100 Hz range. Among them, the sample with an intermediate Ecoflex content (SAM3) exhibited the highest damping ratio of 91.91% at 100 Hz. A vibration damping system was then developed by integrating the SAM3-ERF composite with a Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) actuator. The system was evaluated across various frequencies to assess its vibration attenuation capability. Notably, the highest damping ratio of 93.21% was achieved at 70 Hz, and the system maintained an effective damping bandwidth of approximately 55 Hz, defined as the range where the damping ratio exceeded 50%. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of designing flexible, lightweight, and stable damping systems for a wide range of low-frequency vibration applications, particularly in automotive, aerospace, and wearable technologies requiring both adaptability and vibration damping.