In-situ SEM investigation on the damage behavior of an interpenetrating metal ceramic composite

Abstract

For the investigation of interpenetrating materials, the microstructure and the associated damage mechanism are crucial for the understanding of its properties. In this work, an aluminum-alumina interpenetrating composite is investigated and characterized regarding the microstructure and the tensile and compression properties during in-situ SEM experiments. The composite is fabricated by gas pressure infiltration and consists of a highly homogeneous and fine-pored Al2O3 preform and an AlSi10Mg cast alloy. Due to the fine-pored ceramic phase, building a strong contrast to the metallic phase, digital image correlation (DIC) could be applied directly on the SEM images, captured during the in-situ experiments, without the need of a speckle pattern on the surface. The microstructure analysis and DIC results were correlated with the load level, derived from stress-strain curves, to achieve deeper understanding from the damage behavior in interpenetrating metal ceramic composites.