THE ANALYSIS AND MODELING OF TENSILE BEHAVIOR OF Δ-AL₂O₃/AL ALLOY COMPOSITES

A meso-mechanical analysis model is established for Δ-Al₂O₃/Al alloy composites and an in-depth study of the tensile behavior of the composite is carried out using three-dimensional elastoplastic finite element method (FEM). The model takes into account the initial stress-strain curve of the composite, the effects of various microstructural parameters on the stress-strain curve and the orientation of fibers. By incorporating the actual distribution of fiber orientation measured in experiments, the initial stress-strain curves of Δ-Al₂O₃/Al alloy composites are predicted which are in good agreement with experimental results. It is shown that the tensile behavior of the composite is influenced significantly by the matrix properties, aspect ratio and volume fraction of fibers, fiber's orientation and interfacial bond.