Biomimetic layered fiber-reinforced Ti–Al composites: Effects of various parameters on their strength and ductility through finite element analysis

Abstract

In this study, layered n-layer fiber-reinforced (L-nLFR) Ti–Al composites mimicking portion II of the locust semilunar process (SLP) with excellent mechanical properties were designed, and the finite element method was used to determine the influences of the total volume content of Ti (VTi), volume content of layered Ti (VLTi), and number of fiber layers (n) on the specific bending strength and fracture bending strain of the L-nLFR Ti–Al composite structures. The results showed that increasing VTi from 0.1 to 0.6 and VLTi from 0 to VTi significantly increases the specific bending strength but has a non-monotonic effect on the fracture bending strain of the structures. Increasing n from 1 to 2 significantly increases the specific bending strength but reduces the fracture bending strain, and the increase of n from 2 to 5 can reduce the damage evolution rate. Compared to multilayer Ti–Al composite structures in previous studies with approximately equal specific bending strengths, the fracture bending strain of the L-nLFR structure is 15%-20% larger. The biomimetic layered fiber-reinforced Ti-Al composites designed in this study can provide a new choice for engineering composite materials.