Numerical analysis of crack behavior subjected to residual stresses in the metal matrix composites

From the elaboration of composites at relatively high temperatures, result the residual stresses highly localized in the fiber and the matrix in the nearest vicinity of their interface. These shear stresses put the fiber in compression and the matrix in tension. The objective of this work is to study, three-dimensionally by the finite element method, the effect of these constraints on the behavior of cracks initiated in a composite of a matrix of Al fiber reinforced Al2O3. This behavior is analyzed in terms of variation of the stress intensity factor in modes I, II and III. The effect of the size of the crack, its orientation, its localization, its propagation as well as its penetration has been highlighted. © 2017 Lavoisier.