The viscoelastic properties (E', G', tanΦ, δ) of Arundo donax (AD) and a polypropylene-beech fiber composite (PPC) were measured from RT to 580K for various frequencies and strains. E' of AD varies between 5250-6250MPa depending on ageing at RT while E'(RT)=2250MPa of PPC is signifcantly lower. E' of the AD is higher than E' of PPC in the whole investigated temperature range with the exception of AD after a heat treatment up to 575K. Damping spectra exhibit peaks around 340K (Q=234kJ/mol) and 415K for the PPC related to relaxations in the crystalline part of polypropylene and the relaxation at melting temperature. For AD damping peaks were found at 350K (Q=320kJ/ mol) related to the glass-rubber transition of lignin, at 420K due to a reorganization in the amorphous phase of lignin, at 480K related to micro-Brownian motions in the non-crystalline region of cell-wall polymers and reduction of the crystallinity of cellulose, and at 570K due to the polymeric compounds of wood and/or a decomposition of lignin. The course of E' and tanΦ of AD and PPC is comparable from 20-200Hz, whereas tanΦ of AD is lower than tanΦ of PPC while E' of AD is higher than E' of PPC.

Alloys of CuAlMn are known as cheap, high strength shape memory alloys with an excellent damping capacity within their austenitic-martensitic phase transformation, compared to alloy systems like NiTi, CuZnAl or MnCu. But CuAlMn alloys have disadvantage due to generation of voids by a high shrinkage which further increases the existing proneness to stress cracks during rapid cooling. Alloying grain refining elements improves the stress crack resistance and enables a wide range of rapid quenching parameters which are needed to control the temperature of martensitic phase transformation. Additionally, the elements itself influence the in-or decreasing of the phase transformation temperature and the SMA effects. Furthermore, some of these elements can reduce the internal friction indirectly by decomposing areas of metastable martensite into its stabilized forms, where no transformation occurs. This thermic stability can be calculated by the concentration of valence electrons in a unit cell. The proneness to ageing is controlled by multistep heat treatments. Annealing and rapid quenching into the area of martensitic phase transformation maximize the generation of point defects. A high amount of point defects contradicts the negative effect of pinning. It also preserves the material from extreme brittleness. The influences of these effects are shown at single cantilever bending beams by elastic strain amplitude (ε = 12E-4) depending measurements of internal friction at natural frequency along the ageing at room temperature (293 K) up to 2500 h. The samples are annealed at 1123 K for 15 min (CuAl14Mn2) and 1100K for 30min (CuAl11Mn5) afterwards rapid quenched to 370 K with no further thermic stabilisation. The base alloy of CuAl14.1Mn2.0Ni1.9Fe0.4 had an internal friction measured as logarithmic Decrement (δ) of 0.155 and 0.11 after 2500 h of ageing at RT. The phase transformation is located between 284 K and 352 K, measured by DSC. The alloy of CuAl11.1Mn5.5Zn2.9Ni2.1 had a logarithmic decrement of 0.31 and diminish continuously to 0.12 after 2500 h of ageing at RT. The phase transformation is located between 287 K and 318 K.

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Aluminium-Matrix-Nanoparticle-Composites were produced by ball milling of micro scale Aluminium powder with various nanoscales ceramic powders like Silicon Carbide, Alumina and Boron Nitride with subsequent consolidation by hot extruding. The composites were investigated by amplitude dependent damping tests, tensile tests at elevated temperatures, hardness measurements, imaging methods and electric conductivity tests. All tested samples were machined out of hot extruded rods. The Amplitude dependent damping of bending samples was determined by measuring the strain dependent logarithmic decrement of free decaying vibrations of bending beams at room temperature. These tests were done after successive step by step isochronal heat treatments. Some samples show substantial improvement of the mechanical properties due to dispersion hardening or grain refinement. It can be concluded that the results are mainly influenced by dislocation effects like Orowan-effect, work-hardening, grain-size-hardening, recrystallization, and creation of dislocations at ceramic particles due to thermal mismatch. Moreover some results can be attributed to fatigue during mechanical cycling namely crack nucleation, crack growth and fraction. The electric conductivity was measured indirectly by permeability tests with a digital hysteresis recording devise. The results show the low influence of nano-particle dispersion hardening to conductivity in comparison of work-hardening.

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