Characterization of Damage Evolution in SiC Particle Reinforced Al Alloy Matrix Composites by In-Situ X-Ray Synchrotron Tomography

摘要

We carried out a detailed investigation of the damage behavior of SiC particle reinforced 2080 Al alloy matrix composites by in-situ X-ray synchrotron tomography. We studied the tensile damage behavior of a peak-aged aluminum matrix composite. The main damage mode was SiC particle fracture with a very small contribution from void growth. The onset of damage takes place very close to the ultimate tensile strength of the composite. Particle fracture damage is stochastic in nature and is confined to a small distance from the fracture plane. Minimal void growth is observed, primarily at pre-existing microscopic voids from processing. Microstructure-based simulations, based on two-dimensional (2-D) images from the tomography data sets, show the importance of particle distribution and morphology on the evolution of plastic strain and damage in the composite.