Abstract
The mechanical response and failure of Al-TiB2 composites fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) were investigated. The effective flow stress at room temperature for different TiB2 particle volume fractions between 0% and 15% was determined using compression experiments on cylindrical specimens in conjunction with an iterative computational methodology. A different set of experiments on tapered specimens was used to validate the effective flow curves by comparing experimental force–displacement curves and deformation patterns to the ones obtained from the computations. Using a continuum damage mechanics approach, the experiments were also used to construct effective failure curves for each material composition. It was demonstrated that the fracture modes observed in the different experiments could be reproduced in the computations. The results show that increasing the TiB2 particle volume fraction to 10% results in an increase in material effective yield stress and a decrease in hardening. For a particle volume fraction of 15%, the effective yield stress decreases with no significant influence on the hardening slope. The ductility (workability) of the composite decreases with increasing particle volume fraction.
Highlights
Aluminum Matrix Composites (AMCs) are attractive structural materials [1] due to the unique characteristics of aluminum and aluminum alloys matrix combined with the characteristics of the ceramic particles
The goal of the current study is to investigate the influence of particle volume fraction on the effective flow stress and failure modes of an Al-TiB2 composite produced using Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS)
The current study investigated the influence TiB2 particle volume fraction has on two aspects: the effective flow stress of the Al-TiB2 composite; and failure initiation and evolution at room temperature
Summary
Aluminum Matrix Composites (AMCs) are attractive structural materials [1] due to the unique characteristics of aluminum and aluminum alloys matrix combined with the characteristics of the ceramic particles. The Al matrix has a high strength-to-weight ratio compared with ferrous materials, as well as high ductility, good corrosion resistance, machinability, and processing flexibility, while the ceramic particles have exceptionally high strength. By changing the volume fraction of the ceramic particles in the composite along with their size and shape, it is theoretically possible to tailor the effective mechanical properties to a specific engineering application. This ability to control the effective mechanical properties makes AMCs attractive in many engineering applications where decreased ductility and increased strength are commonly required. In Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), a mixture of particle and matrix materials, in powder form, is compressed in a closed die under constant high pressure and simultaneously sintered using an electric current that flows through the powder and tools [4]
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