Ultrasonic Consolidation as Novel Manufacturing Technique in embedding passive/active fibres in metal matrices

Adaptive structures, embedded with sensors and actuators, have many applications, such as damage detection, structural health monitoring, noise reduction, etc. Recent developments in adaptive composites and their fabrication techniques have focussed on robust metal-matrix and polymer-matrix adaptive structures. Metal-matrix structures are used in applications where structure is required to withstand the hostile environments and meet safety regulations. In most of the metal matrix composites processing, high temperature and pressure is used which results in damage to the fibres. However ultrasonic consolidation is a novel manufacturing technique which occurs at relatively low temperature which is less than onethird of the melt temperature of the metal and it is capable of inducing high plastic flow in the matrix material. Both characteristics could be used in embedding sensitive fibres or sensors inside the metal structure without the risk of damage [1]. In this research we develop a thermomechanical model to simulate and optimize the embedding of active/passive elements in the metal structures using ultrasonic consolidation.