Finite-element analysis of the hot-pressing consolidation of continuous Al2O3 fibers-reinforced NiAl composites

Abstract

Abstract The finite-element method was used to model the consolidation process of continuous Al2O3 fiber-reinforced NiAl composites. Actual creep behavior of NiAl was accounted for including the instantaneous strain and primary creep behavior. Primary creep played a very important role in the consolidation process at high temperatures and high pressures. Various processing parameters were investigated to evaluate the effects of temperature and hot-pressing stress on the consolidation behavior. It was found that the effect of pressure on consolidation was more significant at high temperatures due to its strong influence on the creep rate during power-law creep. The effects of fiber volume fraction and the arrangement of the matrix-coated fibers were also analysed. The simulations recommend an optimal fiber volume fraction in the range of 30 %–50 %. Fully dense composites were fabricated according to the predicted processing conditions, and good agreement between simulation and experiment was achieved.