Development and modeling of synergistic multicomponent viscoelastic damping materials with engineered broad temperature gradient

Viscoelastic damping materials (VDMs) are essential components for structural vibration control. However, their damping performance is highly sensitive to temperature, limiting stable function in variable thermal environments.Conventional modification approaches face difficulty in balancing thermal stability, mechanical strength, and process scalability, which hampers their broader adoption in engineering practice. This study proposes a synergistic multicomponent blending strategy to develop temperature gradient VDMs. Nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) was chosen as the base due to its favorable mechanical strength, thermal resistance, and cost-effectiveness. A tunable damping system was constructed by incorporating rigid thermoplastics, hydrogen bonding thermosets, high temperature damping polymers, and functional organic additives, enabling enhanced thermomechanical behavior and energy dissipation over a wide temperature range. Experimental results revealed a continuous temperature gradient evolution in effective damping temperature region, forming a broad operational range from −11 °C to 60 °C. The materials also maintained excellent tensile strength, elongation, and Shore hardness, indicating strong structural applicability and durability. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that increased rigid and polar components restricted chain segment mobility, causing a nonlinear rise in glass transition temperature (Tg) and significant damping range expansion. These findings reflect strong temperature dependent damping behavior and molecular level synergy. Additionally, a regression-based modeling framework was established to predict Tg and the effective damping range from compositional variables. Among the models assessed, global linear regression offered the best accuracy and stability within the current dataset, mainly due to the quasi-linear response pattern in the high composition regime. This study presents a mechanism informed multicomponent design strategy for VDMs with strong thermal adaptability and engineering viability. The approach provides both a theoretical basis for VDMs development and a practical path toward integrating gradient laminate structures and temperature gradient damping devices. These findings deepen the understanding of thermally responsive damping mechanisms and support the advancement of high performance vibration control in complex service environments.