Quantitative characterization of three-dimensional damage evolution in a wrought Al-alloy under tension and compression

Three-dimensional (3-D) microstructural damage due to cracking of Fe-rich intermetallic particles is quantitatively characterized as a function of strain under compression and tension in an Al-Mg-Si base wrought alloy. The 3-D number fraction of damaged (cracked) particles, their average volume, average surface area, and shape factor are estimated at different strain levels for deformation under uniaxial tension and compression. It is shown that, depending on the type of loading, loading direction, particle shape, and microstructural anisotropy, the two-dimensional (2-D) number fraction of the damaged particles can be smaller or larger than the corresponding true 3-D number fraction. Under uniaxial tension, the average volume and surface area of cracked particles decrease with the strain. However, the average volume and surface area of the cracked particles increase with the increase in the compressive strain, implying that more and more larger elongated particles crack at higher and higher stress levels, which is contrary to the predictions of the existing particle cracking theories. In this alloy, the damage development due to particle cracking is intimately coupled with the particle rotations. The differences in the damage evolution under tension and compression are explained on the basis of the differences in the particle rotation tendencies under these two loading conditions.     

The Fracture Characteristics of a Near Eutectic Al-Si Based Alloy Under Compression

The fracture of eutectic Si particles dictates the fracture characteristics of Al-Si based cast alloys. The morphology of these particles is found to play an important role in fracture initiation. In the current study, the effects of strain rate, temperature, strain, and heat treatment on Si particle fracture under compression were investigated. Strain rates ranging from 3 × 10^?4/s to 10²/s and three temperatures RT, 373 K, and 473 K (100 °C and 200 °C) are considered in this study. It is found that the Si particle fracture shows a small increase with increase in strain rate and decreases with increase in temperature at 10 pct strain. The flow stress at 10 pct strain exhibits the trend similar to particle fracture with strain rate and temperature. Particle fracture also increases with increase in strain. Large and elongated particles show a greater tendency for cracking. Most fracture occurs on particles oriented nearly perpendicular to the loading axis, and the cracks are found to occur almost parallel to the loading axis. At any strain rate, temperature, and strain, the Si particle fracture is greater for the heat-treated condition than for the non-heat-treated condition because of higher flow stress in the heat-treated condition. In addition to Si particle fracture, elongated Fe-rich intermetallic particles are also seen to fracture. These particles have specific crystallographic orientations and fracture along their major axis with the cleavage planes for their fracture being (100). Fracture of these particles might also play a role in the overall fracture behavior of this alloy since these particles cleave along their major axis leading to cracks longer than 200 μm.     

Damage by eutectic particle cracking in aluminum casting alloys A356/357

The strain dependence of particle cracking in aluminum alloys A356/357 in the T6 temper has been studied in a range of microstructures produced by varying solidification rate and Mg content, and by chemical (Sr) modification of the eutectic silicon. The damage accumulates linearly with the applied strain for all microstructures, but the rate depends on the secondary dendrite arm spacing and modification state. Large and elongated eutectic silicon particles in the unmodified alloys and large π-phase (Al₉FeMg₃Si₅) particles in alloy A357 show the greatest tendency to cracking. In alloy A356, cracking of eutectic silicon particles dominates the accumulation of damage while cracking of Fe-rich particles is relatively unimportant. However, in alloy A357, especially with Sr modification, cracking of the large π-phase intermetallics accounts for the majority of damage at low and intermediate strains but becomes comparable with silicon particle cracking at large strains. Fracture occurs when the volume fraction of cracked particles (eutectic silicon and Fe-rich intermetallics combined) approximates 45 pct of the total particle volume fraction or when the number fraction of cracked particles is about 20 pct. The results are discussed in terms of Weibull statistics and existing models for dispersion hardening.     

Effect of loading condition and stress state on damage evolution of silicon particles in an Al-Si-Mg-Base cast alloy

Damage evolution of Si particles in a Sr modified cast A356(T6) Al alloy is quantitatively characterized as a function of strain under tension, compression, and torsion. The fraction of damaged Si particles, their size distributions, and orientation distribution of particle cracks are measured by image analysis and stereological techniques. Silicon particle cracking and debonding are the predominant damage modes. Particle debonding is observed only under externally applied tensile loads, whereas particle cracking is observed under all loading conditions. The relative contributions of Si particle debonding and fracture to the total damage strongly depend on stress state and temperature. For all loading conditions and stress states studied, the average size of damaged Si particles is considerably larger than the bulk average size. The rate of damage accumulation is different for different loading conditions. At a given strain level, Si particle damage is lowest under compression and highest under torsion. The anisotropy of the damage is highly dependent on the deformation path and stress state. Under uniaxial tension, the cracks in the broken Si particles are mostly perpendicular to the loading direction, whereas in the compression test specimens they are parallel to the loading direction. The Si particle cracks in the torsion and notch-tension test specimens do not exhibit preferred orientations. The quantitative microstructural data are used to test damage evolution models.     

Effect of reinforcement-particle-orientation anisotropy on the tensile and fatigue behavior of metal-matrix composites

The effect of extrusion-induced particle-orientation anisotropy on the mechanical behavior of metal-matrix composites (MMCs) was examined. In this study, we have shown that this anisotropy has a significant influence on the tensile and fatigue behavior SiC particle-reinforced Al alloy composites. The preferred orientation of SiC particles was observed parallel to the extrusion axis, with the extent of orientation being highest for the lowest-volume-fraction composites. The composites exhibited higher Young’s modulus and tensile strength along the longitudinal direction (parallel to the extrusion axis) than in the transverse direction. The extent of anisotropic behavior increased with increasing volume fraction, because of the increasing influence of the SiC reinforcement on the Young’s modulus and tensile properties. The preferred orientation also resulted in anisotropy in the fatigue behavior of the composite material. The trends mirrored those observed in tension, with higher overall fatigue strengths for both orientations and a higher anisotropy with increasing volume fraction of particles. The influence of particle-orientation anisotropy and the resulting tensile and fatigue damage mechanisms is discussed.     

The influence of the rolling direction on the mechanical behavior and cavity formation during superplastic deformation of 7075 A1 alloy

The superplastic 7075A1 alloy was tested over a range of strain rates 10⁻²−10⁻⁴s⁻¹ at a temperature range 430–510°C using specimens machined with the rolling direction parallel and perpendicular to the tensile axis. It is shown that the mechanical properties of the alloy, including the elongations to failure, are essentially identical. Microstructural observations show that the cavities tend to form in stringers and these stringers are always oriented along the tensile axis regardless of the rolling direction. The cavities are not nucleated primarily at large Fe-rich or Si-rich particles, nor do they grow from pre-existing microvoids which may be introduced during thermomechanical processing. The cavities are nucleated preferentially at small particles or some irregularities in the grain boundary during superplastic deformation.     

Aspects of fracture in particulate reinforced metal matrix composites

The tensile deformation and fracture behaviour of the aluminium alloy 6061 reinforced with SiC has been investigated. In the T4 temper plastic deformation occurs throughout the gauge length and the extent of SiC particle cracking increases with increasing strain. In the T6 temper strain becomes localised and particle cracking is more concentrated close to the fracture. The elastic modulus decreases with increasing particle damage and this allows a damage parameter to be identified. The fraction of SiC particles which fracture is less than 5%, and over most of the strain range the damage controlling the tensile ductility can be recovered, indicating that other factors, in addition to particle cracking are important in influencing tensile ductility. It is suggested that macroscopic fracture is initiated by the SiC particle clusters that are present in these composites as a result of the processing. The matrix within the clusters is subjected to high levels of triaxial stress due to elastic misfit and the constraints exerted on the matrix by the surrounding particles. Final fracture is then produced by crack propagation through the matrix between the clusters.     

Effect of strain rate on damage evolution in a cast Al-Si-Mg base alloy

An important aspect of damage evolution in cast Al-Si-Mg base alloys is fracture/cracking of Si particles. This microstructural damage is quantitatively characterized as a function of strain rate in the range 10⁻⁴ to 3.7 × 10⁺³, at an approximately constant uniaxial compressive strain level (20 to 25 pct). It is shown that the fraction of damaged silicon particles, their average size, and size distribution do not vary significantly with the strain rate, and at all strain rates studied, larger Si particles are more likely to crack than the smaller ones. However, the stress-strain curves are sensitive to the strain rate. These observations have implications for modeling of deformation and fracture of cast components under high strain rate crash conditions.     

Microstructural effects on the tensile and fracture behavior of aluminum casting alloys A356/357

The tensile properties and fracture behavior of cast aluminum alloys A356 and A357 strongly depend on secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS), Mg content, and, in particular, the size and shape of eutectic silicon particles and Fe-rich intermetallics. In the unmodified alloys, increasing the cooling rate during solidification refines both the dendrites and eutectic particles and increases ductility. Strontium modification reduces the size and aspect ratio of the eutectic silicon particles, leading to a fairly constant particle size and aspect ratio over the range of SDAS studied. In comparison with the unmodified alloys, the Sr-modified alloys show higher ductility, particularly the A356 alloy, but slightly lower yield strength. In the microstructures with large SDAS (>50 μm), the ductility of the Sr-modified alloys does not continuously decrease with SDAS as it does in the unmodified alloy. Increasing Mg content increases both the matrix strength and eutectic particle size. This decreases ductility in both the Sr-modified and unmodified alloys. The A356/357 alloys with large and elongated particles show higher strain hardening and, thus, have a higher damage accumulation rate by particle cracking. Compared to A356, the increased volume fraction and size of the Fe-rich intermetallics (π phase) in the A357 alloy are responsible for the lower ductility, especially in the Sr-modified alloy. In alloys with large SDAS (>50 μm), final fracture occurs along the cell boundaries, and the fracture mode is transgranular. In the small SDAS (<30 μm) alloys, final fracture tends to concentrate along grain boundaries. The transition from transgranular to intergranular fracture mode is accompanied by an increase in the ductility of the alloys.     

High-temperature low-cycle fatigue and lifetime prediction of Ti-24Al-11Nb alloy

The influence of hold time on low-cycle fatigue (LCF) of Ti-24Al-11Nb was studied at 650 °C. At 0.167 Hz, the alloy exhibits cyclic hardening at all strain levels studied and obeys the well-known Manson-Coffin behavior. A 100-second hold at peak tensile or compressive strain at ±0.6 pct strain has no observable effect on cycles to failure. For hold times at ±0.5 pct strain, however, the fatigue lives are nearly halved and specimens show secondary cracking normal to the stress axis. The increase in inelastic strain as a result of hold time appears to be primarily responsible for the observed loss in fatigue life. A linear life fraction model, which considers both fatigue and creep damage, is found to provide good correlation of measured lives with predictions. For the range of test conditions employed, the total and the tensile hysteretic energy per unit volume, absorbed until fracture, remain nearly constant. The tensile hysteretic energy appears to be a more useful measure of fatigue damage for life prediction. On leave from Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad, India 500-258     

Strain Rate Effect on Material Behavior of TRIP‐Steel/Zirconia Honeycomb Structures

A pure TRIP‐steel alloy and a novel zirconia reinforced TRIP‐steel matrix composite were implemented in a 2D square‐celled honeycomb structure fabricated by a paste extrusion method, respectively. In terms of a series of compression tests in out‐of‐plane loading direction the buckling and the pronounced strain hardening behavior of the honeycomb structures are described with regard to different material compositions and varied nominal strain rates. Both the compressive flow behavior and the microstructure evolution in the crushed zones are controlled by the rate of formation of strain‐induced martensite and the ceramic particle/steel matrix interactions. The insertion of magnesia partially‐stabilized zirconia (Mg‐PSZ) particles in the austenitic steel matrix cause an increased yield strength and higher compression stresses up to certain deformations degrees. The limited ductility of the composite materials is a consequence of the rearrangement and fracture of zirconia particles initiating cracks and shear bands during deformation. Consistently, the visible strain rate effects on the mechanical responses of the honeycomb structures are similar to AISI 304L austenitic stainless steel specimens in the form of compact rods. However, at high local strain rates generated in drop weight impact tests a micro‐inertia factor support the failure behavior of the cellular structures.     

Void nucleation by inclusion cracking

Void nucleation is studied both experimentally and computationally with the aim of identifying a macroscopic criterion for nucleation by particle cracking. Three types of circumferentially notched cylindrical specimens made of a low-alloy steel were used, in order to vary the stress triaxiality in the notch region. The tensile tests were interrupted at various loads below the fracture load. The specimens were sectioned parallel to the loading axis, and the locations of cracked and uncracked titanium-nitride inclusions were identified. No evidence was found of void nucleation by inclusion debonding. Finite-element calculations were carried out for each specimen geometry using conventional isotropic-hardening plasticity theory. The ability of various potential void-nucleation criteria to predict the onset of void nucleation by inclusion cracking is explored.     

Damage initiation in metal matrix composites

The process of damage by particle cracking has been followed in a composite of A356 Al containing 20% by volume SiC. The probability of particle cracking is influenced by both particle size and aspect ratio and the results indicate that the relative importance of these factors depends on the Weibull modulus of the SiC particles. A simple model is developed to describe the process of load transfer and crack initiation in the particles. This initial model does not take into account particle interactions and the role of clustering but does provide an initial fragment to describe the damage initiation process.     

Micromechanical modeling of reinforcement fracture in particle-reinforced metal-matrix composites

Finite element analyses of the effect of particle fracture on the tensile response of particle-reinforced metal-matrix composites are carried out. The analyses are based on two-dimensional plane strain and axisymmetric unit cell models. The reinforcement is characterized as an isotropic elastic solid and the ductile matrix as an isotropically hardening viscoplastic solid. The reinforcement and matrix properties are taken to be those of an Al-3.5 wt pet Cu alloy reinforced with SiC particles. An initial crack, perpendicular to the tensile axis, is assumed to be present in the particles. Both stationary and quasi-statically growing cracks are analyzed. Resistance to crack growth in its initial plane and along the particle-matrix interface is modeled using a cohesive surface constitutive relation that allows for decohesion. Variations of crack size, shape, spatial distribution, and volume fraction of the particles and of the material and cohesive properties are explored. Conditions governing the onset of cracking within the particle, the evolution of field quantities as the crack advances within the particle to the particle-matrix interface, and the dependence of overall tensile stress-strain response during continued crack advance are analyzed. Formerly Graduate Research Assistants, Brown University     

A study on the subgrain superplasticity of extruded Al-Al3Ni eutectic alloy

A directionally solidified Al-Al₃Ni eutectic alloy was extruded to obtain micron-size subgrains with [111] fiber texture. The extrusion temperature was varied to have different distributions of the Al₃Ni eutectic particles. Choosing the fiber axis as the loading axis, the tensile test results at 500 °C indicate that the elongation is concave downward and strain-rate dependent. Reducing the number of intragranular particles increases the maximum elongation as well as the strain rate of maximum elongation. With the particles residing only intergranularly in the as-extruded state, the maximum elongation, which occurs under the initial strain rate of 6.3×10⁻³ s⁻¹, is about 300 pct. This subgrain superplasticity is associated with low strain-rate sensitivity but high resistance against strain softening. The fiber texture is always retained, and the microstructure reveals slip of long parallel dislocations. If intragranular particles are also present in the as-extruded state, the occurrence of dislocation tangling and dynamic recovery will give rise to early onset of strain softening and inferior ductility.     

Study of the Influence of Inclusions on the Behavior of NiTi Shape-Memory Alloys in Thermal Cycling by Means of Finite Element Method

Despite the number of articles on the subject, the influence of inclusions on the behavior of nickel titanium shape memory alloys is still controversial. Numerical simulation can play a fundamental role in providing insight into this subject. As far as superelastic materials are concerned, it has been shown by means of finite element simulations that, in wires loaded in rotary bending conditions, the presence of inclusions greatly increases the stress distribution in the cross section, and that the maximum stress increases as the distance between the inclusion and the neutral axis increases. In this work, a similar approach is used to analyze the effect of inclusions on thermal cycles of wires loaded in tension. By means of a thermomechanical constitutive model implemented in ANSYS, the alternate stress/strain field in the presence of a particle is computed. The particle is either located close to the wire surface or in the center of the wire section. An empirical damage evolution law is applied to the stress strain field showing a region adjacent to the particle where premature mesocrack nucleation is likely to take place.     

SiC particle cracking in powder metallurgy processed aluminum matrix composite materials

Particle cracking is one of the key elements in the fracture process of particulate-reinforced metal-matrix composite (MMC) materials. The present study quantitatively examined the amount of new surface area created by particle cracking and the number fraction of cracked particles in a series of SiC-reinforced aluminum-matrix composite materials. These composite materials were fabricated by liquid-phase sintering and contained 9 vol pct of 23, 63, or 142 μm SiC. The matrix properties were varied by heat treating to either an underaged or peak-aged condition. In general, the new surface area created by particle cracking (S _v ) and the number fraction of cracked particles (F_no) were linearly dependent on the local strain along the tensile specimen. Multiple cracks were frequently observed in the composites containing large particles. It was found that the new surface area created by particle cracking per unit strain was higher for the case of high-strength matrices and was not systematically affected by particle size within the range studied. The number fraction of cracked particles was affected by both particle size and matrix strength. A higher number fraction of particles cracked in the composites reinforced with large particles and with high matrix yield strengths. These results are interpreted in terms of the size of the particle defects, which is a function of particle size, and the critical flaw size necessary to crack a given particle, which is a function of the stress on the particle. The new surface area created by cracking and the fraction of cracked particles were related and are in good agreement for the large and medium sized particles.     

Fracture at elevated temperatures in a particle reinforced composite

The tensile fracture behavior of a cast and extruded 2014 aluminum alloy metal matrix composite (MMC) reinforced with 10, 15, and 20 vol.% aluminum oxide particles was investigated as a function of temperature between 100 and 300°C and hold time, and compared with the unreinforced alloy. In addition, the effect of aging condition was investigated in a 15 vol.% composite tested at 200°C. At lower temperature the composites have higher yield strength and UTS than the unreinforced material, and both decrease with increasing temperature. At higher temperatures all the materials have similar strength levels. The elongation is lower in the composites, decreasing with increasing level of reinforcement and increasing with increasing temperature, except at the highest temperature where all the composites are about the same. The microstructural damage in the composites also varies with temperature: particle fracture dominates at lower temperatures and interparticle voiding is the main damage feature at elevated temperatures. The time at temperature, and hence the degree of overaging, has little effect on the observed trends in the composite, in contrast with the unreinforced material where the density of voids decreases with increasing hold times. The transition temperature where the major damage changes from particle cracking to interparticle voiding increases with volume fraction and particle size, and decreases with overaging. The cracked particle density and void density both increase with strain, and the highest rate of increase occurs in the overaged material. In general, the tendency for particle cracking is reduced and for interparticle voiding is increased by any factor which permits accomodation of strain by the matrix, such as lower volume fraction of particles, small particle size, nonclustered particle distribution, and matrix softening from underaging or overaging.     

Cracking in γ-TiAl due to high speed particle impact

Cracking due to small particle impacts on prospective γ-TiAl blades in jet turbine engines has been studied experimentally and theoretically. Flat rectangular specimens of two γ-TiAl alloys, with edges chamfered to resemble the taper of blades, were subjected to small particle impacts. The forms of damage observed resembled those revealed by earlier studies using specimens that were cast closely to the shape of blade leading edges. Numerical simulations of the impact events were carried out using finite element analysis, using uniaxial stress-strain behavior that was obtained in compression at high strain rates. A criterion for cracking is proposed that requires critical levels of plastic strain and tensile stress. Predictions of crack extent that were based on such a combined criterion were found to be in the range of observations. The predictive methodology, together with information on the fatigue strength of various damage states, potentially offers designers the opportunity to examine the risk associated with small particle damage on contemplated blades.     

The chemical and mechanical processes of thermal fatigue degradation of an aluminide coating

The influence of strain history on the oxidation and mechanical degradation of an aluminide coating was examined by induction heating of stepped-disk specimens. The coating was applied to a single-crystal Ni-base superalloy (RENè N4) by pack aluminization. The anisotropic elasticity of the single-crystal substrate allowed simultaneously subjecting the aluminide coating to different strain amplitudes. Two distinct modes of coating degradation were observed for tests performed in air between temperature limits of 520 °C and 1080 °C: scalloping (spatially periodic surface oxidation and roughening) and cracking. The degree of scalloping became more severe as the compressive strain imposed on the coating was increased. Six thousand cycles between peak strains of -0.20 and 0.007 pct produced uniform surface oxidation, without scalloping, whereas 6000 cycles between peak strains of -0.56 and 0.01 pct gave oxidation and scalloping to 80 pct of the coating thickness. Cracks along coating grain boundaries were observed after 6000 cycles between peak strains of -0.45 and 0.16 pct. The depth of scalloping was found to correlate approximately with peak compressive substrate strain. Based on this correlation, a mechanism for scallop initiation and growth involving cyclic breakdown of the surface oxide and irreversible cyclic creep of the coating is proposed. Cracking along coating grain boundaries is attributed to tensile strains applied below the transition temperature of the coating. The results obtained from this study indicate that cyclic strain history is an important variable which should be included when determining the oxidation rate of coatings and alloys.