Cyclic pseudoelastic behavior and energy dissipation in as-cast Cu-Zn-Al foams of different densities

This paper presents a study of the mechanical properties of pseudoelastic Cu-Zn-Al foams. Foams of different densities were cycled in compression. The paper shows the retained/dissipated energy by the material, i.e. the area of the compression cycle, as a function of the material density. The frequency and strain amplitude, usual parameters that may influence the damping properties, are studied by evaluating the dissipated energy and the specific damping capacity. Samples cyclically tested under constrained compression conditions show a remarkable mechanical stability and reproducibility. The material does not appreciably degrade after 1000 compression cycles at room temperature. We emphasize the material does not need any thermomechanical processing or training treatment in order to present the mechanical properties detailed in the present paper.

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► Cu-Zn-Al foams undergo large deformations by producing a martensitic transformation.
► The specific damping capacity of the material is independent of the test frequency.
► The specific damping capacity increases with strain amplitude.
► Power-law functions of the relative density fit relevant properties of the material.
► The foam shows good mechanical stability in constrained cyclic compression tests.