Fracture toughness in metal matrix composites

Evaluations of the fracture toughness in metal matrix composites (Duralcan reinforced with 15% of Al(2)0(3) and SiC) are presented in this work. The application of Elastic Plastic Fracture Mechanics is discussed and the obtained values are compared with the ones obtained by means of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics. Results show that J IC derived K JC values are higher than the corresponding values obtained by direct application of the linear elastic methodology. The effect of a heat treatment on the material fracture toughness was also evaluated in which the analyzed approaches showed, not only different toughness values, but also opposite tendencies. A second comparison of the J IC and K JC values obtained in this work with toughness values reported in the literature is presented and discussed

Determination of CTOD C in Fibre Metal Laminates by ASTM and Schwalbe Methods

Fibre Metal Laminates (FMLs) have arisen as a demand of the aeronautical industry to use thin sheets with high resistance to fatigue crack growth, high damage tolerance, corrosion resistance and high specific strength. Considering these requirements, FMLs are an advantageous choice when compared to metal alloys currently used. In order to employ FMLs in aircraft structures, designers must hold a deep knowledge of a wide set of their properties including fracture toughness. The aim of this work was to evaluate the available methodologies to measure fracture toughness at instability (CTOD C) in unidirectional fibre metal laminates reinforced with aramid fibres (ARALL®). To achieve this, tests were performed to obtain traditional and Schwalbe CTODs by using experimental ASTM based techniques, especially adapted to these laminates. Results achieved point out that Schwalbe method is more appropriate and also that there are differences between both CTOD parameters