This study presents a new ultra-high temperature composite fabricated by using zirconium diboride (ZrB₂), silicon carbide (SiC), and tantalum carbide (TaC) with the volume ratios of 70%, 20%, and 10%, respectively. To attain this novel composite, an advanced processing technique of spark plasma sintering (SPS) was applied to produce ZrB₂–SiC–TaC. The SPS manufacturing process was achieved under pressure of 30 MPa, at 2000 °C for 5 min. The micro/nanostructure and mechanical characteristics of the composite were clarified using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and nano-indentation. For further investigations of the product and its characteristics, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were undertaken, and the main constituting components were provided. The composite was densified to obtain a fully-dense ternary; the oxide pollutions were wiped out. The mean values of 23,356; 403.5 GPa; and 3100 °C were obtained for the rigidity, elastic modulus, and thermal resistance of the ZrB₂–SiC–TaC interface, respectively. To explore the practical application of the composite, the natural frequency of an aircraft wing considering three cases of materials: (i) with a leading edge made of ZrB₂–SiC–TaC; (ii) the whole wing made of ZrB₂–SiC–TaC; and (iii) the whole wing made of aluminum 2024-T3 were investigated employing a numerical finite element model (FEM) tool ABAQUS and compared with that of a wing of traditional materials. The precision of the method was verified by performing static analysis to obtain the responses of the wing including total deformation, equivalent stress, and strain. A comparison study of the results of this study and published literature clarified the validity of the FEM analysis of the current research. The composite produced in this study significantly can improve the vibrational responses and structural behavior of the aircraft’s wings.

This study proposed a new type of the shape memory alloy (SMA) bending bars with a new clamping machine and investigated their bending and cyclic behavior subjected to pushing and pulling actions through experimental works. The aim was to characterize the self-centering and damping capacity of the SMA bending bars to develop self-centering and damping devices and evaluate their efficiency in seismic and dynamic applications. For this aim, two types of SMAs were considered: (1) superelastic SMA (SE SMA) and (2) martensite SMA (MA SMA). First, the bending tests were performed on single SE SMA and MA SMA bars and their corresponding bending behaviors were illustrated in the form of force–displacement curves. Results showed that the MA SMA bar provided higher energy dissipation capacity while the SE SMA could provide a better displacement recovery. Thereafter, the bending behaviors of multiple bars with various combinations of SMA bars, namely, double SE SMA (SS), SE SMA-MA SMA-SE SMA (SMS), and MA-SE-MA (MSM) were investigated. Results showed that MSM provided the highest energy dissipation capacity among all while the SMS showed a better structural performance considering a combination of damping and self-centering capacities. Then, to enhance the displacement recovery and energy dissipation capacity of SMA bars, the single SE SMA bar, and SMS were annealed. Results showed that the annealing enhanced the structural performance, but no perfect displacement recovery was still obtained.