Tensile properties of randomly oriented short δ-Al2O3 fiber reinforced aluminum alloy composites:: II.: Finite element analysis for stress transfer, elastic modulus and stress-strain curve

The tensile properties of aluminum alloy matrix composites containing randomly oriented short delta-Al2O3 fibers were simulated numerically and compared to experimental results. A three-dimensional finite element model based on a representative volume, containing a single fiber was constructed and used for elastic-plastic analysis. Both aligned and tilted fibers were considered in the model. Using this model, the stress transfer between short fiber and matrix was studied. Based on the theory of effective performance, the tensile elastic modulus and initial stress-strain curves of delta-Al2O3/Al-5.5Zn, delta-Al2O3/Al-5.5Mg and delta-Al2O3/Al-12Si alloy composites were analyzed in detail. The effects of microstructural features such as fiber's orientation, interfacial bond and matrix performance on the elastic modulus and the initial stress-strain curve of the composite were also taken into account. On comparison with the measured results, it was concluded that the predicted results agreed well with the measured ones, especially for elastic modulus. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.