A Study on the Fracture Mechanism of Smart Composite under Thermal Shock Cycles Using AE Technique

A smart material is used as spectacle frames and brassiere frames, and partly in medical supplies because of its shape memory effect. The smart composite can be used on the wing of an airplane instead of the existing aluminium to control crack propagation. In this study, the smart composite was fabricated by a hot press method. TiNi alloy as reinforcement and Al6061 as matrix were used, respectively. The mechanical properties of the smart composite under thermal shock cycles were evaluated. In addition, Acoustic Emission techniques were also used to clarify the damage behavior of the smart composite under thermal shock cycles nondestructively.