Investigation of the mechanical performance of fiber-modified ceramic composites using finite element method

Abstract

Ceramic materials are widely used in impact safekeeping systems. Ceramic is a heterogeneous material; its characteristics depend considerably both on specifications of its ingredients and the material structure completely. The finite element method (FEM) can be a useful tool for strength computation of these materials. In this paper, the mechanical properties of the ceramic composites are investigated, and the mechanical performance modeling of fiber-fortified ceramic matrix composites (CMC) is expressed by the instance of aluminum oxide fibers in a matrix composite based on alumina. The starting point of the modeling is an infrastructure (primary cell) that contains a micromechanical size, the statistical analysis characteristics of the matrix, fiber-matrix interface, fiber, and their reciprocal influences. The numeral assessment of the model is done using the FEM. The numerical results of composite elastic modulus were computed based on the amount of the added fibers and the porosity was evaluated for empirical data of samples with a similar composition. Various scanning electron microscope (SEM) images were used for each sample to specify the porosity. Also, the unit cell method presumed that the porous ceramic substance is manufactured from an array of fundamental units, each with the same composition, material characteristic, and cell geometry. The results showed that when the material consists of different pores and fibers, the amount of Young’s modulus reduces with the increment of porosity. The linear correlation model of elasticity versus porosity value from experimental data was derived by MATLAB curve fitting. The experimental data from the mechanical test and numerical values were in good agreement.