Magnetorheological elastomers (MRE) are interesting candidates for active vibration control of structural systems. In this study, spring elements consisting of magnetorheological elastomer were prepared and tested in dynamic compression to study the changes in their stiffness and vibration damping characteristics under the influence of a magnetic field. Aligned and isotropic magnetorheological elastomer composites were prepared using room temperature vulcanizing silicone elastomer as the matrix material and carbonyl iron as the magnetizable filler. Aligned MREs were prepared by curing the material under an external magnetic field. Aligned MREs were tested and the results were compared with isotropic composites with no preferred orientation. The mechanical properties of the MREs were tested in cyclic compression passively and with increasing magnetic flux density. The influence of the testing frequency and strain amplitude on the dynamic stiffness and damping properties was studied. It was noted that when measured in a magnetic field both the dynamic spring constants and the loss factor values of aligned MREs were increased compared to the zero-field values. The dynamic stiffness of aligned MREs increased with increasing testing frequency and it was tunable with magnetic flux density in the studied frequency range. The loss factor of aligned MREs was also tunable with the magnetic flux density but the absolute values also depend on the testing frequency. The dynamic stiffness of the aligned MREs measured in compression decreased with increasing strain amplitude, but the damping properties were not affected similarly. On the basis of these results, MREs are applicable as tunable spring elements for active vibration control.

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We have tested the use of a supercontinuum laser source in laser-based spectral backscatter measurement. The calibration and first results with the prototype instrument are presented with a discussion of improvements and applications in laser-based hyperspectral remote sensing and laboratory measurements. This technique enables the spectral study of the backscatter effects and the calibration and test measurements for the purpose of airborne laser measurement. We also explore the prospect of using a supercontinuum laser source in a broadband (hyperspectral) lidar.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on the developments in manufacturing soft magnetic materials using laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). Design/methodology/approach Ternary soft magnetic Fe-49Co-2V powder was produced by gas atomization and used in an L-PBF machine to produce samples for material characterization. The L-PBF process parameters were optimized for the material, using a design of experiments approach. The printed samples were exposed to different heat treatment cycles to improve the magnetic properties. The magnetic properties were measured with quasi-static direct current and alternating current measurements at different frequencies and magnetic flux densities. The mechanical properties were characterized with tensile tests. Electrical resistivity of the material was measured. Findings The optimized L-PBF process parameters resulted in very low porosity. The magnetic properties improved greatly after the heat treatments because of changes in microstructure. Based on the quasi-static DC measurement results, one of the heat treatment cycles led to magnetic saturation, permeability and coercivity values comparable to a commercial Fe-Co-V alloy. The other heat treatments resulted in abnormal grain growth and poor magnetic performance. The AC measurement results showed that the magnetic losses were relatively high in the samples owing to formation of eddy currents. Research limitations/implications The influence of L-PBF process parameters on the microstructure was not investigated; hence, understanding the relationship between process parameters, heat treatments and magnetic properties would require more research. Originality/value The relationship between microstructure, chemical composition, heat treatments, resistivity and magnetic/mechanical properties of L-PBF processed Fe-Co-V alloy has not been reported previously.

Long-term behaviour and fatigue endurance are the key issues in the utilization of SMA actuators, but systematic research work is still needed in this field. This study concentrates on the effects of three major design parameters on the long-term behaviour of binary Ti-49.7Ni-based actuators: the effect of the temperature interval used in thermal cycling, the effect of the stress level used and the effect of the heat-treatment state of the wire used. The long-term behaviour of the wires was studied in a custom-built fatigue test frame in which the wires were thermally cycled under a constant stress level. The fatigue lives of tested specimens and the evolution of transformation and plastic strains on thermal cycling were recorded. Before the fatigue testing, a series of heat treatments was carried out to generate optimal actuator properties for the wires. One of the major conclusions of the study is that the temperature interval used for thermal cycling has a major effect on fatigue endurance: decreasing the temperature interval used for thermal cycling increased the fatigue life markedly. When the transformation is complete, a 20 • C increase of the final temperature reduced the fatigue lives at the most by half for the studied Ti-49.7Ni wires. With partial transformations the effect is more distinct: even the 5 • C increase in the final temperature reduced the fatigue life by half. The stress level and heat-treatment state used had a marked effect on the actuator properties of the wires, but the effects on fatigue endurance were minor. The fatigue test results reveal that designing and controlling long-term behaviour of binary Ti-49.7Ni actuators is very challenging because the properties are highly sensitive to the heat-treatment state of the wires. Even 5 min longer heat-treatment time could generate, at the most, double plastic strain values and 30% lower stabilized transformation strain values. The amount of plastic strain can be stated as one of the failure criteria for binary Ti-49.7Ni, but that every heat-treatment state and loading level should be treated and presented separately with its own design relations.