Strain amplitude dependence of the logarithmic decrement was measured and studied on an AZ61 magnesium alloy at room temperature. Measurements were carried out before and after isochronal thermal treatment step by step with increasing temperature. For all specimens, the strain dependence of the logarithmic decrement exhibits two regions. At lower strains the logarithmic decrement is strain independent and in the higher strain region it depends strongly on strain amplitude. The strain-independent logarithmic decrement is mainly composed of thermoelastic damping and dislocation damping, which can be explained by Granato-Lücke theory. In addition, the strain-independent logarithmic decrement for the specimens annealed at higher temperatures is a little lower than that for as-cast specimen, and it increases with increasing temperature of heat treatment. Microstructure changes due to heat treatment are responsible for changes of the logarithmic decrement.
IntrodutionNumerous problems in engineering are caused by mechanical vibrations, therefore there is a need for lightmass materials that exhibit simultaneously high damping capacity and good mechanical properties, such as a high modulus, a high mechanical strength, good creep resistance or good fatigue resistance. Pure magnesium has the highest damping capacity owing to the easy motion of dislocations at room temperature [1] , while its low strength limits its application as structural material. Introducing alloying elements and precipitates that are able to pin the dislocations can avoid plastic deformation and thereby can increase the tensile strength [2] . Within the magnesium alloys with aluminum and zinc as alloying elements, AZ61 alloy appears. In fact, even if this alloy is widely used in industry, some of its damping (internal friction) and elastic capacities are still not understood.In the present investigation, the influence of isochronal heat treatment on damping behavior of an AZ61 magnesium alloy was studied.
ExperimentalThe alloy used was a commercial Mg-Al-Zn alloy obtained through semi-continuous casting with chemical composition of Mg-5.81Al-0.55Zn-0.29Mn (mass fraction, %). Test specimens for damping measurements were machined to bending beams with a length of 30 mm, a width of 3 mm and a thickness of 1 mm. Then the specimens were isochronally annealed for 1 h in a thermostated furnace filled with sublimed sulfur and then quenched in water at room temperature. The annealing temperature ranged from 453 to 773 K and increased in step of 80 K. The damping and elastic properties were measured as a function of the strain amplitude by employing a dynamic mechanical analyzer(DMA) at a vibration frequency of 20 Hz in forced mode at room temperature in air, and the vibration of strain amplitude was increased from 1×10 −5 to 4×10 −3 . In the forced mode and for cases of relatively small damping capacity, the damping capacity (δ, also called logarithmic decrement) is given by [3] :where θ is the phase lag between the strain and the applied stress. The quantitat...