Effects of superimposed hydrostatic pressure on fracture in round bars under tension

AbstractThe effect of superimposed hydrostatic pressure on fracture in round bars under tension is studied numerically using the finite element method based on the Gurson damage model. It is demonstrated that while the superimposed hydrostatic pressure has no noticeable effect on necking, it increases the fracture strain due to the fact that a superimposed pressure delays or completely eliminates the nucleation, growth and coalescence of microvoids or microcracks. The experimentally observed transition of the fracture surface, from the cup-cone mode under atmospheric pressure to a slant structure under high pressure, is numerically reproduced. It is numerically proved that the superimposed hydrostatic pressure has no effect on necking for a damage-free round bar under tension

Processing and mechanical properties of magnesium-lithium composites containing steel fibers

Deformation-processed metal-metal composites (DMMC) of Mg-Li alloys containing steel reinforcing fibers were prepared by infiltrating a preform of steel wool with the molten matrix. The Li content was varied to control the crystal structure of the matrix; Mg-4 wt pct Li is hexagonal close packed (hcp), while Mg-12 wt pct Li is body-centered cubic (bcc). The low carbon steel used as the reinforcing fiber is essentially bcc. The hcp/bcc and bcc/bcc composites were subsequently deformed by rolling and by extrusion/swaging and mechanically tested to relate the tensile strength of the composites to true deformation strain. The hcp/bcc composites had limited formability at temperatures up to 400 °C, while the bcc/bcc composites had excellent formability during sheet rolling at room temperature but limited formability during swaging at room temperature. The tensile strengths of the hcp/bcc composite rod and the bcc/bcc composite sheet and rod increased moderately with deformation, though less than predicted from rule-of-mixtures (ROM) calculations. This article presents the experimental data for these DMMC materials and comments on the possible effect of texture development in the matrix and fiber phases on the deformation characteristics of the composite material

On recrystallization in metal matrix composites

The plane strain deformation of model continuous fibre composites such as Cu-W provides a vehicle for the study of the macroscopic effects of second phase particles on the strain distribution in the matrix and its possible effects on subsequent recrystallization behaviour. By using metallographic studies based both on optical gridding methods and low temperature recrystallization, the pattern of flow enforced by the fibres can be quantified and related to the spatial distribution of recrystallization events

Creep behavior of copper-chromium in-situ composite

Creep deformation and fracture behaviors were investigated on a deformation-processed Cu-Cr in-situ composite over a temperature range of 200 °C to 650 °C. It was found that the creep resistance increases significantly with the introduction of Cr fibers into Cu. The stress exponent and the activation energy for creep of the composite at high temperatures (≥400 °C) were observed to be 5.5 and 180 to 216 kJ/mol, respectively. The observation that the stress exponent and the activation energy for creep of the composite at high temperatures (≥400 °C) are close to those of pure Cu suggests that the creep deformation of the composite is dominated by the deformation of the Cu matrix. The high stress exponent at low temperatures (200 °C and 300 °C) is thought be associated with the as-swaged microstructure, which contains elongated dislocation cells and subgrains that are stable and act as strong athermal obstacles at low temperatures. The mechanism of damage was found to be similar for all the creep tests performed, but the distribution and extent of damage were found to be very sensitive to the test temperature

Damage and failure processes in structural materials

At large plastic strains consideration must be given not only to the descriptions of work hardening and texture evolution but also to the process of damage accumulation and the documentation of the various modes of failure which may terminate the plastic history. In this presentation consideration is given first to documenting the various modes of failure and their dependence on stress state. It is then shown that damage accumulation can be studied in a quantitative manner by using model systems in conjunction with FEM calculations. Finally consideration is given to complex forming processes such as ironing to show how studies of damage initiation and accumulation relate to practical engineering problems

Architectured materials: Expanding materials space

International audienceThe objective of this introduction to the viewpoint set on architectured materials is to illustrate the paradigm shift which occurs by introducing additional length scales into a material in addition to those provided by the microstructure. This provides new opportunities both to relate the processing of materials directly to design needs and to develop a variety of multifunctional materials in which both the microstructure and the overall architecture of the material are optimize