Vibration control requires high dynamic stiffness in mechanical structures for a reliable performance under extreme conditions. Dynamic stiffness composes the parameters of stiffness (K) and damping (η) that are usually in a trade-off relationship. This thesis study aims to break the trade-off relationship. After identifying the underlying mechanism of damping in composite materials and joint interfaces, this thesis studies the deposition technique and physical characteristics of nano-structured HDS (high dynamic stiffness) composite thick-layer coatings. The HDS composite were created by enlarging the internal grain boundary surface area through reduced grain size in nano scale (≤ 40 nm). The deposition process utilizes a PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition) method combined with the HiPIMS (High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering) technology. The HDS composite exhibited significantly higher surface hardness and higher elastic modulus compared to Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), yet similar damping property. The HDS composites successfully realized vibration control of cutting tools while applied in their clamping interfaces. Compression preload at essential joint interfaces was found to play a major role in stability of cutting processes and a method was provided for characterizing joint interface properties directly on assembled structures. The detailed analysis of a build-up structure showed that the vibrational mode energy is shifted by varying the joint interface’s compression preload. In a build-up structure, the location shift of vibration mode’s strain energy affects the dynamic responses together with the stiffness and damping properties of joint interfaces. The thesis demonstrates that it is possible to achieve high stiffness and high damping simultaneously in materials and structures. Analysis of the vibrational strain energy distribution was found essential for the success of vibration control.

Este trabalho versa sobre a inspeção fratográfica por Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV) e a análise micro-química por Energia Dispersiva de Raios-X de superfícies de fratura de um compósito particulado de matriz metálica (CMM = liga AA356 + SiC) manufaturado por compofundição e submetido a diferentes classes de ensaios mecânicos, a saber, impacto Charpy, flexão quase-estática e fadiga fletiva. A fratografia por MEV em modo de imageamento por elétrons secundários se mostrou uma poderosa ferramenta na análise dos aspectos topográficos de CMM particulados fraturados, que se relaciona diretamente ao aporte de energia (ou ao nível de tensão desenvolvido) para a criação da superfície de fratura, independentemente do tipo de solicitação mecânica aplicada. Mecanismos de tenacificação em CMM, tais como descolamento, trincamento e arrancamento de partículas de SiC da matriz metálica AA356 foram prontamente identificados e documentados por esta modalidade MEV, e correlacionados ao desempenho mecânico dos materiais investigados. Aglomeração de partículas de SiC, assim como a presença de poros e/ou vazios se revelaram freqüentemente como variáveis determinantes do desempenho mecânico do CMM em ensaios dinâmicos, quase-estáticos e cíclicos. MEV em modo de imageamento por elétrons retro-espalhados se mostrou extremamente útil na identificação de partículas de SiC aflorando em superfícies de fratura do CMM quando o emprego de elétrons secundários não foi bem sucedido na tarefa. Micro-análise química por EDS permitiu o mapeamento dos elementos Fe e Cr, além de Mn, e possibilitou classificá-los como formadores de precipitados potencialmente fragilizantes do CMM. Esta técnica também assegurou a identificação de reticulados ricos em Si ao redor dos glóbulos de fase pró-eutética (alfa), os quais (reticulados) são altamente favorecedores de fraturas intergranulares. / This work focuses on the fractographic inspection by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and micro-chemical analysis by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) of fractured surfaces of a compocast particulate metal matrix composite (MMC = AA356 alloy + SiC) subjected to different classes of mechanical testing, namely, Charpy impact, quasi-static flexure and flexural fatigue. SEM fractography in secondary electron imaging mode has shown to be a powerful tool in analyzing topographic aspects of fractured particulate MMC, which are straightforwardly related to the energy apportion (or the developed stress level) to the fracture surface creation, regardless the applied mechanical loading type. Toughening mechanisms for MMC, such as SiC particle debonding, cracking and pulling-out from the metallic matrix AA356 alloy were promptly identified and documented through this SEM modality, and correlated to the mechanical performance of investigated materials. SiC particle clusters as well as pore and/or void presence were very often discovered as the main controlling variables of mechanical performance of MMC during dynamic, quasi-static and cyclic testing. SEM fractography in backscatted electron imaging mode has shown to be extremely useful on the identification of SiC particles emerging from fractured surfaces of MMC when secondary electron mode did not succeed in this task. EDS micro-chemical analysis allowed to map Fe and Cr, besides Mn, and permitted to classify them as potentially MMC-embrittling precipitated forming elements. This technique also assured the identification of Si-rich reticulated structure around pro-eutectic phase globules, which (reticulated structure) highly favors intergranular fracture.

Compósitos de matriz metálica combinam diferentes classes de materiais a fim de obter novas propriedades, superiores às dos materiais originais. A adição de partículas cerâmicas (reforço) em ligas de cobre pode melhorar suas propriedades mecânicas sem gerar grande perda na condutividade elétrica. Este trabalho teve como objetivo processar e estudar a microestrutura e propriedades (condutividade elétrica, dureza e fratura) de compósitos à base de cobre reforçados com alumina e céria. As amostras foram processadas pela técnica de metalurgia do pó: pesagem, mistura (sem bolas por 30min a 46 rpm), compactação (uniaxial à frio com pressão de 1080 Mpa por 10s) e sinterização (800°C por 6h sob vácuo de 10-5 torr). As análises de MO, MEV, EDS e DRX (com refinamento Rietveld) indicaram boa coalescência das partículas, formando superfície continua e com baixa porosidade. A alumina formou regiões aglomeradas da ordem de 20 μm, a céria ficou finamente dispersa nos contornos de grão do cobre com algumas regiões aglomeradas, o cromo formou regiões de cerca de 100 μm e não teve distribuição completamente uniforme ao longo da matriz, a prata formou solução sólida com o cobre e, durante o resfriamento lento, formou precipitados menores do que 5 μm uniformemente dispersos no interior dos grãos de cobre. Os compósitos apresentaram condutividade elétrica entre 15 e 40 %IACS, dureza entre 62 e 88 HV5 e as fractografias apresentaram fratura mista e regiões indicando boa adesão matriz-reforço. Em relação ao cobre puro, foi observado efetivo aumento na dureza (cerca de 2x), porém, em todos os compósitos, o acréscimo da fase cerâmica acarretou na diminuição da condutividade elétrica. Os compósitos de Cu-8%(Al2O3, CeO2) foram os que apresentaram melhor equilíbrio entre essas duas propriedades, com condutividade de 40 e 38 %IACS e dureza de 63 e 69 HV5. / Metal matrix composites combine different classes of materials to obtain new properties, superior to those of the original materials. The addition of ceramic particles (reinforcement) in copper alloys could improve their mechanical properties without generating great loss in electrical conductivity. The aim of this work was to process and study the microstructure and properties (electrical conductivity, hardness and fracture) of copper-based composites reinforced with alumina and ceria. The samples were processed by the powder metallurgy technique: weighing, blending (no balls for 30 min at 46 rpm), compaction (cold uniaxial at 1080 MPa for 10s) and sintering (800°C for 6 h under vacuum of 10-5 torr). Analysis of OM, SEM, EDS and XRD (with Rietveld refinement) indicated good coalescence of the particles, forming continuous surface with low porosity. The alumina formed agglomerated regions with approximately 20 μm, the ceria was finely dispersed in the grain boundary of the copper with some agglomerated regions, the chromium formed regions of about 100 μm and have a non-uniform distribution throughout the matrix, the silver formed solid solution with copper and, during slow cooling, formed precipitates smaller than 5 μm, uniformly dispersed inside the copper grains. The composites presented electrical conductivity between 15 and 40 %IACS, hardness between 62 and 88 HV5 and the fractographs presented mixed fracture and regions indicating good matrix-reinforcement adhesion. In relation to pure copper, it was observed an increase in hardness (about 2x), however, in all the composites, the increase of the ceramic content led to a decrease in the electrical conductivity. The Cu-8%(Al2O3, CeO2) composites showed the best balance between these two properties, with conductivity of 40 and 38 %IACS and hardness of 63 and 69 HV5.

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Ni/TiC metal matrix composites have been processed using the laser engineered net shaping (LENS) process. As nickel does not form an equilibrium carbide phase, addition of a strong carbide former in the form of titanium reinforces the nickel matrix resulting in a promising hybrid material for both surface engineering as well as high temperature structural applications. Changing the relative amounts of titanium and carbon in the nickel matrix, relatively low volume fraction of refined homogeneously distributed carbide precipitates, formation of in-situ carbide precipitates and the microstructural changes are investigated. The composites have been characterized in detail using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (including energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS) mapping and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)), Auger electron spectroscopy, and transmission (including high resolution) electron microscopy. Both primary and eutectic titanium carbides, observed in this composite, exhibited the fcc-TiC structure (NaCl-type). Details of the orientation relationship between Ni and TiC have been studied using SEM-EBSD and high resolution TEM. The results of micro-hardness and tribology tests indicate that these composites have a relatively high hardness and a steady-state friction coefficient of ~0.5, both of which are improvements in comparison to LENS deposited pure Ni.

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L’étude a pour objectif l’amélioration de la fiabilité des assemblages électroniques à travers la mise en œuvre de drains composites aluminium/fibres de carbone. Le travail a consisté à 1) modéliser, par la méthode des éléments finis, l’influence des propriétés thermiques et mécaniques du matériau de semelle sur l’assemblage életronique ; 2) élaborer (par frittage sous charge uniaxiale, frittage flash et extrusion à chaud) des matériaux composites aluminium/fibres de carbone ; et 3) lier les microstructures observées aux paramètres des procédés d’élaboration ainsi qu’aux propriétés thermiques et mécaniques mesurées. / This study has been done in order to improve power electronic devices reliability using aluminium/carbon fibres composites. This work has consisted in 1) determining, using finite elements method, the thermal and mechanical influence of the electronic base plate material; 2) elaborating (using hot pressing, spark plasma sintering and hot extrusion) aluminium/carbon fibres composites; and 3) linking the microstructures observed to the elaboration parameters and to the thermomechanical properties measured.

Depuis de nombreuses années, la société est de plus en plus consommatrice d’énergie. Cette augmentation va de pair avec les progrès d’accès à l’énergie, une croissance démographique mondiale continue, l’amélioration de la qualité de vie et le développement de nouvelles technologies. D’après l’agence internationale de l’énergie, une hausse de cette consommation de l’ordre de 30% est prévue d’ici 2040. Près de 40% de cette consommation additionnelle pourrait être satisfaite par l’électricité ; ce qui aura un fort impact sur la distribution d’énergie. Pour la société Schneider Electric, spécialiste mondial de la gestion de l’énergie et des automatismes, la distribution d’énergie électrique est principalement assurée par des barres et des fils en cuivre. Ce métal est très largement utilisé pour de nombreux organes de raccordement, appelés objets 2D, qui servent à connecter et déconnecter les appareils. Le principal problème de ces éléments est leur dissipation d’énergie par effet Joule lors du passage du courant électrique. Ce travail de thèse a ainsi consisté à l’élaboration et l’étude d’une nouvelle génération de conducteur électrique et/ou thermique plan (2D) dans l’objectif de palier à ce problème. Pour cela, une nouvelle méthodologie de fabrication de matériaux composites Cu/C 2D a été développée. Elle est composée d’une étape de pré-traitement des poudres, d’une nouvelle technique de mélange et d’une mise en forme du matériau par compression uniaxial à chaud. Différents types de poudres métalliques (cuivre dendritique et cuivre plaquette) et poudres carbonées (graphite, graphène multi-couches, oxyde de graphène) ont été étudiés. L’orientation du renfort au sein de la matrice métallique et l’interface entre ces deux composants ont été optimisées. Cette méthodologie, associée aux caractérisations physico-chimiques des matériaux et à des modèles théoriques, a permis de mieux comprendre les paramètres clés pour l’obtention d’un matériau possédant des propriétés physiques améliorées. Ainsi, les matériaux Cu/C 2D élaborés au cours de cette thèse présentent, suivant le type renfort, une augmentation des propriétés mécaniques (allant de 36% à 120% pour la dureté Vickers), une amélioration de la conductivité thermique (variant de 8% à 56%) et une résistivité électrique cohérente en regard des propriétés du cuivre, matériau de référence. / Since several years, society has become more and more energy-consuming. This increase goes hand in hand with the progress of access to energy, continuous world population growth, the improvement of life quality and the development of new technologies. According to the International Energy Agency, an increase of this consumption of the order of 30 % is planned before 2040. About 40 % of this additional consumption could be satisfied by electricity; what will have a strong impact on the distribution of energy. For the company Schneider Electric, world specialist of the management of energy and automatisms, the distribution of electrical energy is mainly assured by copper bars and wires. This metal is widely used for many connecting organs, called 2D objects, which are used to connect and disconnect devices. The main problem of these elements is their dissipation of energy by Joule effect when passing electric current. Thus, this thesis work consisted in the elaboration and study of a new generation of electrical and/or thermal plane (2D) conductor in the objective to overcome this problem. To this end, a new methodology for manufacturing Cu/2D C composite materials has been developed. It consists of a powders pre-treatment step, a new mixing technique and a shaping of the material by uniaxial hot compression. Various types of metal powders (dendritic copper and copper platelet) and carbonaceous powders (graphite, multi-layer graphene, graphene oxide) were studied. The orientation of reinforcement within the metal matrix and the interface between these two components have been optimized. This methodology, combined with physico-chemical characterizations of materials and theoretical models, provided a better understanding of the key parameters for obtaining a material with improved physical properties. Thus, the Cu/2D C materials developed during this thesis show, depending on the type of reinforcement, an increase in mechanical properties (from 36% to 120% for the Vickers hardness), an improvement in thermal conductivity (from 8% to 56%) and an electrical resistivity consistent with the properties of copper, the reference material.

Le remplacement des systèmes de distribution d’énergie actuels dans les avions (pneumatiques, hydrauliques, mécaniques et électriques) par des systèmes 100% électriques est un enjeu majeur dans le cadre du projet de l’avion « plus électrique ». Le processus d’électrification de l’avion conduit à une augmentation de la puissance embarquée à bord des aéronefs, et par conséquent à une augmentation de la masse du réseau filaire. Afin de pallier à cette augmentation, un nouveau matériau composite possédant des propriétés électriques supérieures à celle du cuivre a été développé dans le but d’augmenter la capacité de courant admissible dans le conducteur à section constante. Ce travail de thèse présente le procédé d’élaboration du matériau composite cuivre-nanotubes de carbone développé ainsi que les techniques de caractérisation utilisées et les résultats associés. Différents paramètres tels que la qualité de la dispersion des renforts dans la matrice, le type de nanotubes de carbone utilisés (multi-parois vs mono-paroi), la nature de l’interface créée entre le cuivre et les renforts (mécanique vs chimique) ainsi que les techniques de mise en forme du matériau (pressage uni-axial à chaud, extrusion à chaud) et de post-traitements (recuit, laminage à chaud) ont été étudiés afin d’obtenir des propriétés physiques optimales. Il en résulte une augmentation des propriétés thermiques (+6,8% pour la conductivité thermique), mécaniques (+32% pour la dureté Vickers) et également électriques - pour la première fois observée- (+3,4 % pour la conductivité électrique) et ce en comparaison avec à une matrice de cuivre pur. / The substitution of the current energy chains in aircrafts (pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical and electrical) by a 100% electrical chain is a major issue in the field of the “more electric” aircraft. The electrification process leads to an increase of the inboard power of aircrafts, and therefore to an increase of the wired network weight. To counterbalance this increase of mass, a new composite material with higher electrical properties that copper should be considered, in order to increase the current density in the conductor at constant cross section. Several parameters have been studied such as the quality of the carbon nanotubes dispersion, the type of CNTs used (single-walled vs. multi walled), the interface between the matrix and the reinforcements (mechanical vs. chemical), the shaping of material (uni-axial hot pressing, hot extrusion process) and the post treatments processes (heat treatment, hot lamination process). An enhancement of the thermal properties (+ 6.8% of thermal conductivity), the mechanical properties (+32% of Vickers hardness) and for the first time an increase of the electrical properties (+3.4 % for the electrical conductivity) have been observed in comparison with pure copper.