Damping of Ni–Mn–Ga epoxy resin composites

By combining the advantages of efficient damping and high mechanical properties, Ni–Mn–Ga particle composites have a very good prospect for applications in damping structure design. In this paper, a ferromagnetic shape memory alloy Ni–Mn–Ga composite is prepared. Ni–Mn–Ga particle/bisphenol-A epoxy composite cantilever beam vibration tests under a magnetic field and without the magnetic field are conducted to analyze the structural damping ratios ξ. Meanwhile, the damping characteristics of the Ni–Mn–Ga composite are studied through the axial loading–unloading method and the acoustic emission signals method. The damping coefficient of the composite for different Ni–Mn–Ga volume fractions is obtained. The interface properties of the composite are discussed by micro examination and axial loading. The relationships between the damping of the composite and that of the component materials are discussed. The specific damping capacity (SDC) and acoustic emission counts diagram of different specimens with different Ni–Mn–Ga volume fractions are analyzed.