A study on the damping capacity of BaTiO3-reinforced Al-matrix composites

To study the damping capacity of BaTiO3/Al composites, Al composites reinforced with BaTiO3 powder (average grain sizes: 100 and 1000 nm) were fabricated by the hot-pressing sintering method. The damping properties of pure Al and BaTiO3/Al composites were investigated and compared based on the dynamic mechanical analysis over a wide range of temperatures (50–285∘C). Compared with pure Al matrix, 1000 nm BaTiO3/Al composites with 5 and 10% mass fractions of BaTiO3 exhibited better damping capacity. For 100 nm BaTiO3/Al composite, its damping capacity is slightly higher than that of pure Al below 145∘C, while it becomes lower above this degree. The damping capacity enhancement of BaTiO3/Al composites can be explained by the ferroelastic domain damping. Furthermore, 5 and 10% BaTiO3/Al composites have higher bending strength and hardness than pure Al sample.