Abstract Scope |
Granular doped zirconia packings have recently been shown to exhibit continuous martensitic phase transformation. This, combined with the large actuation stress and volumetric strain, makes the material appealing as a damping medium or as a tunable actuator. In this talk, we present the first aluminum-matrix composites with functional zirconia particles as the reinforcement phase, which display good static properties and significant stress-induced stiffening thanks to zirconia’s phase transformation. These composites are of superior quality thanks to their processing technique: Additive Friction Stir Deposition, a solid-state additive manufacturing technology that uses intense plastic deformation to incite material flow, leading to well dispersed secondary particles. Because there is no melting, wetting angles are a non-issue and the interface between aluminum and zirconia is excellent. Analysis of this critical interface, as well as the composites’ macro- and microscopic mechanical properties, are presented here in depth with results from microscopy, XRD, DSC, and nano-indentation. |