A joint research team from the University
of the Basque Country and the United States MIT (Massachusetts Institute
of Technology), led by Professor of Physical Metallurgy, Mr José María
San Juan, has shown that copper, aluminium and nickel alloys with shape memory
have a much higher damping index in nano sizes than in macroscopic dimensions.
In a few milliseconds, these alloys acquire excellent properties given their
"ultrahigh damping" that makes them ideal materials for eliminating
nano-scale vibrations or impacts in sensors and detectors.
The practical application of this feature will enable the development of much
more precise and hard-wearing ABS brakes in the field of transport or, in the
domestic field, washing machines with a quieter and more stable centrifuging.
It will also be possible to create more sensitive microsensors and micro devices
for use in biomedicine, aeronautics or robotics - disciplines where alloys of
materials with shape memory are of great importance.
Alloys with shape memory are able to recover their initial shape after being
subjected to changes in temperature. In this process, configured by two phases
called Austenite and Martensite, the materials with shape memory can dissipate
large quantities of mechanical energy, this being responsible for the damping
properties
Nature Nanotechnology, the most important worldwide publication in its speciality,
has published the discovery from this international team led by the UPV/EHU
Professor San Juan. The work, entitled Nanoscale shape-memory alloys for ultrahigh
mechanical damping, was published in the latest issue of journal which has an
impact factor of 20.571, i.e. the research published has high scientific and
technological importance and the articles have high international repercussion.
In concrete, Mr San Juan’s article has been quoted by the specialised
publication, Materials Today.
Posted July 30th, 2009
