Dynamic observation of a damping material using micro X-ray computed tomography coupled with a phase-locked loop

As rubber materials are used for damping, clarifying the relationship between the loss factor and microstructure would help develop high-performance damping materials. Although nondestructive observations using X-ray computed tomography (CT) under repetitive deformation have been reported, no observations have been reported at the submicron order that capture low-strain deformation, such as vibration exposure. The internal deformation behavior of materials with different loss factors has not yet been evaluated. This study proposes a dynamic X-ray CT method for specimens under tensile amplitudes, directly evaluating the internal deformation behavior of materials under dynamic conditions. The proposed 4D-CT has an excitation of 1 Hz and a spatial resolution of 0.5 μm. The local strain was obtained from X-ray CT at each phase, and the deformation behavior was evaluated. The results revealed that the peak of the local strain amplitude distribution curve decreased and the distribution widened as fine particles were mixed. •The phase-locked loop imaging allows using a micro X-ray CT under repetitive deformation have been reported.•4D-CT with an excitation of 1 Hz and spatial resolution of 0.5 μm for measurements of internal deformation in polymer specimens was realized.•As the loss factor increased with the particulate composites, the peak height of local strain amplitude distribution decreased.