Chapter 8 - Metal matrix composites—Local approach

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

This chapter deals with a local approach to metal–matrix composites. The approach followed in this chapter to characterize damage is termed local in the sense that damage is introduced at the constituent or local level. For composite material, two damage tensors MM and MF are introduced for the two constituents, that is, matrix and fibers of the composite system. For a composite system consisting of n constituents, n damage tensors M(1), M(2),…., M(n) are introduced to locally characterize damage in a complete manner. These damage variables are then combined in a systematic way with an appropriate micromechemical constitutive model to develop the overall damage response of the composite system. The matrix damage effect tensor MM is assumed to reflect all types of damage that the matrix material undergoes, like nucleation and coalescence of voids and mircocracks, whereas the fiber damage effect tensor MF is considered to reflect all types of fiber damage, like fracture of fibers. These two tensors are then related through an overall damage effect tensor M for the whole composite system.