Improvement of viscoelastic damping in nickel aluminum bronze by indium-tin

Abstract

Reduction of the vibration noise from submarine propellers is of interest in naval operations. Such an objective can be achieved via the use of materials with the ability to dissipate energy of vibration by means of heat, i.e. high damping materials. An additional problem is that the extreme hydrostatic pressure environment of a submarine requires the chosen material to exhibit considerably high stiffness. Most materials demonstrate a compromise between the two properties, i.e. stiffness and damping. This paper aims to discuss research into high stiffness and high damping materials conducted using a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) under variations of testing temperature, frequency, and strain amplitude. Alloys of nickel aluminum bronze and indium tin are the subjects of this study. Defect damping represents a large portion of the overall damping properties of the nickel aluminum bronze while increasing indium content is shown to boost the damping properties of the indium tin alloy. The study then continues with the development of a new material that combines both indium alloying and defects introduction into the nickel aluminum bronze alloy. The new alloy is observed to have high damping, as measured in its high tan δ, with minimum reduction of the stiffness |E*|.