Rheological characterization of silicone polymer nanocomposites for vibration damping applications

Vibration damping gels were developed and characterized for their application as damping material for underwater applications. In the present work, a polydimethyl siloxane (SIL) based gel material and its nanocomposites with graphene nanopowder were prepared in varying compositions and its rheological properties were investigated. Effect of fillers on viscoelastic properties was studied. Rheological measurements were carried out to study effect of temperature and frequency on the viscoelastic properties using stress rheometer. In the oscillation mode, the instrument can give storage and loss moduli (G’ and G”) and tano. The frequency dependent modulus and damping properties were generated in the low frequency range (0.3 - 300 Hz) and using time temperature superposition (TTS) technique the material properties in the high frequency range (in kHz) which are significant for underwater applications, were obtained. Time dependent behaviour of the materials were investigated using creep and stress relaxation experiments.