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Experimental and numerical methods to identify the linear viscoelastic properties of flax fibre reinforced epoxy (FFRE) composite are presented in this study. The method relies on the evolution of storage modulus and loss factor as observed through the frequency response. Free-free symmetrically guided beams were excited on the dynamic range of 10 Hz to 4 kHz with a swept sine excitation focused around their firsts modes. A fractional derivative Zener model has been identified to predict the complex moduli. A modified ply constitutive law has been then implemented in a classical laminates theory calculation (CLT) routine.

Flax fibre; composites; damping; viscoelasticity; frequency dependence; vibration