Influence of Polymer Matrix Stiffness on Multifunctional Composites Analysed by ROM and Halpin-Tsai Models

Abstract:

Additive manufacturing techniques such as Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) and Stereolithography (SLA) enable the production of smart composites with complex geometries. In these materials, the bonding strength between ferromagnetic shape memory alloy (FSMA) microparticles and the polymer matrix is critical for efficient strain transfer. Matrix stiffness also plays a key role: it must be high enough to transmit stress, yet soft enough to allow magnetic twin boundary motion without exceeding the blocking stress. This study analyses the temperature-dependent shear modulus of composites containing Ni₄₅Mn_36.7In_13.3Co₅ microparticles embedded in polycaprolactone (PCL) and photocurable bisphenol A-glycidyl methacrylate (Bis-GMA) matrices using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The experimental results were fitted using modified Rule of Mixtures (ROM) and Halpin-Tsai (HT) models. The elastic energy transfer was also calculated to evaluate the strain transfer capability from the microparticles to the matrix during the martensitic transformation. These results underscore the substantial impact of matrix properties on mechanical response and provide modelling tools for the design of FSMA-based actuators, sensors, energy generation devices based on the harvesting of vibrational energy and damping systems.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 1198)
• Pages: 29-42
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-T0JcE5
• Online since: August 2026
• Authors: Fernando D. Lambri, Federico G. Bonifacich, Osvaldo A. Lambri, Bernhard Weidenfeller*, Griselda I. Zelada, Melania Lambri, Vicente Recarte, Vicente Sánchez-Alarcos, José Ignacio Pérez-Landazábal
• Keywords: 4D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, Fused Deposition Modelling, Halpin-Tsai Model, Multifunctional Composites, Rule of Mixtures

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