ISSN: 0884-6804
Page Count: 9

Incorporating Fiber Damage in a Micromechanical Analysis of Metal Matrix Composite Laminates
Robertson, DD
Air Force Institute of Technology, OH

Mall, S
Air Force Institute of Technology, OH

Abstract

A micromechanics based formulation involving the method of cells is developed to analyze metal matrix composite behavior in the presence of fiber fragmentation. The effects of fiber fracture are accounted for by determining an instantaneous effective fiber modulus from a modified chain-of-bundles approach. The analysis assumes a uniform density of fiber breakage throughout the composite. This crack density is determined from Weibull statistics whose parameters may be obtained from single-fiber tests or estimated. The ultimate strength of titanium-based metal matrix composite (MMC) laminates as well as their inelastic stress-strain response in the presence of fiber fragmentation are predicted from the present analysis which are in good agreement with the experimental counterparts. Also, the applicability of the present analysis to predict the low cycle/high stress fatigue lives of MMC laminates is demonstrated.

Keywords:
metal matrix composites, composite damage, fiber failure, ultimate strength, titanium composites

Paper ID: CTR10112J
DOI: 10.1520/CTR10112J
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