Mechanical spectroscopy of thermal stress relaxation at metal–ceramic interfaces in Aluminium-based composites

Abstract The micromechanisms of thermal stress relaxation in aluminum-based metal-matrix composites (MMCs) have been investigated by mechanical loss and dynamic shear modulus measurements during thermal cycling between 100 and 500 K. A transient mechanical loss maximum, which is absent in the monolithic material, appears during cooling. This damping maximum is strongly dependent on the measurement parameters: oscillation frequency, oscillation amplitude and cooling rate. In addition, it increases with the volumetric reinforcement content and decreases if the matrix strength is improved. The shear modulus evolution during thermal cycling shows that no detectable interfacial debonding occurs. Compared with alloyed MMCs, Al4N-based MMCs show the highest damping maximum simultaneously with a plateau in the elastic shear modulus. The mechanical loss maximum is attributed to dislocation generation and motion near the interfaces, resulting from the differential thermal contraction of matrix and reinforcement. A new model is proposed which describes this specific mechanical behavior of MMCs in terms of the development of microplastic zones in the matrix near the metal–ceramic interfaces.