Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Development of damped metal-matrix composites for advanced structural applications. Technical report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7023716

The development of damped metal matrix composite structures for advanced applications has been investigated by the use of two different approaches: (1) the development of metal matrix composites with high intrinsic damping compared to that of the matrix material, and (2) the development of coated metal matrix composites with high structural damping compared to that of the composite substrates. The two different approaches are analyzed in terms of their potential for improved damping and feasibility for structural applications. Damping was measured by the transverse vibration of free-free beams using the bandwidth technique by a laser vibrometer under ambient conditions. The damping measurements were made over a wide range of frequencies (.7 kHz to 25.6 kHz) at low strain amplitudes (10 to the -10 power to 10 to the -7 power). Materials investigated for their tensile stiffness, strength, and damping performance include mechanically alloyed (MA) Aluminum-Magnesium, SiC(p)/Aluminum-Copper (MA), SiC(p)/AL, AL2O3(p)/AL, SiC(W)/AL, planar random Gr/AL, unidirectional Gr/AL and unidirectional SiC(Nicalon)/AL composites. The effects of coatings of high damping metals (nitinol and incramute) on 6061-T6 AL and AL2O3(p)/AL substrates have also been studied. The AL-Mg (MA), SiC(p)/AL (MA), SiC(W)/AL and th AL2O3(p)/AL composites show no significant improvement in damping compared with that of the 6061-T6 AL.

Research Organization:
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (USA). Applied Research Lab.
OSTI ID:
7023716
Report Number(s):
AD-A-219864/6/XAB; ARL/PSU/TR--90-004
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English