Axisymmetric finite element analysis of single fiber push-out test for stainless steel wire reinforced aluminum matrix composites

Abstract

An axisymmetric cylindrical finite element (FE) model with wire-matrix interface is presented with the objective of evaluating the interfacial properties of stainless steel wire reinforced aluminum matrix composites. It consists of a wire of stainless spring steel 1.4310 (X10CrNi18-8), a matrix of aluminum alloy AA6060 and the interface. The FE model used to model the push-out test which has been developed over a number of years as a mean of quantifying the interfacial properties. The interface with a specified thickness is modeled using the cohesive layer concept where, in addition to the elastic parameters, a damage criterion based on the maximum nominal stress is also defined for the interface. Fracture energy is used to define the damage evolution which describes the rate at which material degrades, once the damage initiation criterion is met. The interface parameters are varied to adopt the model according to the experimental results reported in the past. The simulation results are in qualitative agreement with experimental results regarding the force–displacement graph. The simulation results obtained show the presence of compressive stresses at the top and tensile stresses at the bottom of the interface caused by the bending of the specimen. It indicates that, during fiber push-out test of metal matrix composites where thin-slice geometries are used, interfacial failure initiation favoured by tensile stress field, probably occurs at the bottom of the specimen even in the absence of thermally induced shear stresses. However, modeling the stepwise debonding of interface requires the more sophisticated implementation of interface behaviour concerning failure evolution and the friction between wire and the matrix.