The effect of simulated space thermal environment on damping capacity of metal matrix composites

Damping capacity is one of important parameters that engineers need to consider when they select materials for space structure applications. The materials studied in this paper are high performance SiC particulate reinforced aluminum and Al2O3 woven fabric reinforced aluminum composites. Changes in damping capacity of the materials in simulated space thermal environment were studied using Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA). Comparing to the conventional aluminum alloy, the composites have significantly higher damping capacity. The experiment demonstrated that thermal cycling to sub-ambient temperature can significantly affects the damping capacity of metal matrix composites. The long-term effects of space thermal cycling on the composites were also discussed.