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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
The mechanical quality factor Q m of 1–3 piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate/epoxy composites with ceramic volume fractions φ ranging from 0.18 to 0.82 has been measured. This range of φ is wider than those previously investigated by other workers. The width-to-thickness ratio of the ceramic phase is sufficiently small that there are no significant mode couplings. The observed Q m agrees well with the prediction of the parallel model. It is found that Q m increases from 34 to 100 as φ changes from 0 to 0.82 and then increases sharply to reach a high value of 600 at φ = 1. Therefore Q m can be tailored to give a wide range of values by varying φ.