A micromechanical model to predict the viscoelastic response of syntactic foams

Syntactic foams are light-weight novel composites that have gained importance over conventional materials due to their low weight and high specific mechanical properties. They are two-phase composites consisting of a matrix embedded with hollow glass microspheres. Various micromechanics-based approaches exist to evaluate the bulk properties of the composite. In this study, a generalized self-consistent three-phase method is used to determine the bulk properties of the composite (elastic, shear moduli and the Poisson's ratio) analytically. Parametric studies are carried out to study the effect of microsphere wall thickness and radius on the bulk properties. The inaccurate assumption of a perfectly elastic matrix is replaced by introducing viscoelasticity in the matrix and evaluating the shear response of the resultant composite. The hysteresis response of the composite and the energy dissipation factor tan (delta) are studied at different frequencies and volume fractions. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.