Magnetic field induced strain and damping behavior of Ni–Mn–Ga particles/epoxy resin composite

• The magnetic field induced strain was detected in the ordered composite.
• The magnetic field induced strain was lower than the phase transformation strain.
• Loss factor at glass transition temperature was increased after adding particles.

This study investigated the magnetic field induced strain (MFIS) and damping behavior of the disordered and ordered Ni–Mn–Ga particles/epoxy composites. The apparent MFIS was detected in the ordered composite with 50 wt% particle content. The composite exhibited a MFIS of ∼40 ppm (strain-c) for expansion at martensite state which was much smaller than phase transformation strain (strain-c, ∼210 ppm). The internal friction of the composites at glass transition temperature was enhanced with the addition of Ni–Mn–Ga particles, which might be attributed to the introduction of interfacial friction between particles and matrix. The ordered composite exhibited a lower damping ability than the disordered composite, which was attributed to the different distribution of particles in the two composites.