Effect of Fiber Volume Fraction on Low Cycle Fatigue Behavior of Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3f</sub>/Al-Si Composites

Abstract

The tensile and low cycle fatigue tests were carried out on alumina short fibers reinforced Al-Si piston alloy composites (Al-Si MMCs). Three Al-Si MMCs reinforced with 10, 17 and 25 vol.% of alumina short fibers were prepared to investigate the effects of volume fraction on tensile and low cycle fatigue properties at room temperature (RT) and 350°C. The results showed that the tensile strength decreased with the increasing of volume fraction of fibers at RT and was slight different at 350°C. Among the three MMCs, the 17%-MMCs showed highest stress level under the low cycle fatigue tests. The fatigue cracks were usually initiated from the clustered and large size fibers near the surface of specimen, propagated along the fiber/matrix interface at RT and grew rapidly by means of broken the fibers at 350°C.