Understanding Ferroelastic Domain Reorientation as a Damping Mechanism in Ferroelectric Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites

Ferroelectric-reinforced metal matrix composites (FR-MMCs) offer the potential to improve damping characteristics of structural materials. Many structural materials are valued based on their stiffness and strength; however, stiff materials typically have limited inherent ability to dampen mechanical or acoustic vibrations. The addition of ferroelectric ceramic particles may also augment the strength of the matrix, creating a multifunctional composite. The damping behavior of two FR-MMC systems has been examined. One involved the incorporation of barium titanate (BaTiO3) particles into a Cu- 10w%Sn (bearing bronze) matrix and the other incorporating them into an electroformed Ni matrix. Here the damping properties of the resulting ferroelectric reinforced metal matrix composites (FR-MMCs) have been investigated versus frequency, temperature (above and below the Curie temperature of the reinforcement), and number of strain cycles. FR-MMCs currently represent a material system capable of exhibiting increased damping ability, as compared to the structural metal matrix alone. Dynamic mechanical analysis and neutron diffraction have shown that much of this added damping ability can be attributed to the ferroelectric/ferroelastic nature of the reinforcement.