Damping Performances of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Cement Composite

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were dispersed in an aqueous cement matrix using surfactant decoration, ultrasonic treatment, and, subsequently, intensive mixing to fabricate MWCNT/cement composites with six different MWCNT concentrations. Damping performances of these cured nanocomposites were studied with forced vibration testing, half-power bandwidth, and Morlet wavelet transform identification methods. The micro-crack bridging and interfacial “stick-slip” capacity of nanotubes among cement matrix contributes to balanced enhancement on structural damping capacity and flexural strength of the nanocomposite. With the addition of 2.0% nanotubes, the fundamental frequency, damping ratio, and flexural strength of the nanocomposite increases around 13 Hz, 60, and 32%, as compared to the reference, respectively.