Low-frequency damping behavior of closed-cell Mg alloy foams reinforced with SiC particles

The damping properties of an Mg alloy foam and its composite foams were investigated using a dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer.The results show that the loss factors of both the Mg alloy and its composite foams are insensitive to temperature and loading frequency when the temperature is less than a critical temperature Tcrit. However, it increases when the temperature exceeds the Tcrit values,which are 200 and 250°C for the Mg alloy foam and the Mg alloy/SiCp composite foams, respectively. The Mg alloy/SiCp composite foams exhibit a higher damping capacity than the Mg alloy foam when the temperature is below 200°C. By contrast, the Mg alloy foam exhibits a better damping capacity when the temperature exceeds 250°C. The variation in the damping capacity is attributed to differences in the internal friction sources, such as the characteristics of the matrix material, abundant interfaces, and interfacial slipping caused by SiC particles, as well as to macrodefects in the Mg alloy and its composite foams.