FRACTURAL PROCESS AND TOUGHENING MECHANISM OF LAMINATED CERAMIC COMPOSITES

Based on the model of multi-layer beam and the assumption of micro-inhomogeneity of material, the 3D fractural characteristics of laminated ceramic composites have been studied with numerical simulation. Under three-point bending load, crack initiation, coalescence, propagation, tuning off in the weak interface and final rupture have been simulated. The spatial distribution and evolution process of acoustic emission are also presented in the paper. The simulation verifies the primary mechanism of the weak interface inducing the crack to expand along there and absorbing the fractural energy. The disciplinary significance of the effect of strength and properties of material on the toughness and strength of laminated ceramic composites is, therefore, discussed in this paper.

Preparation and Mechanical Properties of Al_2O_3/Al Laminated Ceramic Matrix Composites

Three series of Al2O3/Al laminated ceramic matrix composites,named SPA,SPV and HP,were fabricated by different methods.SPA and SPV were prepared using Al2O3 slices and Al slurry via screen printing and subsequent heat treatment in air or vacuum.HP samples were made by hot pressing the layered stack of Al foils and Al2O3 slices.SEM and XRD were applied to analyze the microstructure and the interlayer crystal phase.The bending strength,fracture toughness and fracture work of the samples made by the three methods were measured and compared.The results show that the composites have much better toughness and higher fracture work than the Al2O3 slice.Among the samples made by the three methods,the samples made by hot pressing have the optimum mechanical performance.The displacement-load curves and fracture mechanism were analyzed.

Preparation, structure and properties of Mg/Al laminated metal composites fabricated by roll-bonding, a review

Laminated metal composites(LMCs) are a unique composite material and have great application prospects in automobiles, ships, aircraft,and other manufacturing industries. As lightweight materials, the Mg/Al LMCs are expected to combine the advantages of both Mg and Al alloys to broaden their application prospects. Roll-bonding is the most popular process for the fabrication of Mg/Al LMCs due to high production efficiency and good product quality stability. The roll-bonding process involves the deformation of the substrates and the formation of the interfacial diffusion layer. The latter will directly determine the interface bonding strength of Mg/Al LMCs. Bonding strength is very sensitive to the thickness of the reaction layer in the diffusion layer. When the thickness of the reaction layer exceeds 5 μm, the bonding strength decreases sharply. Therefore, controlling the thickness of the reaction layer is very important for the design of rolling parameters.The latest research also showed that the addition of intermediate layer metal and the construction of three-dimensional interfaces can further improve the interface bonding strength. How to apply these methods to roll-bonding is the focus of future research. Recently, a new rolling technique, corrugated roll/plat roll rolling+flat roll/flat roll rolling has been developed to fabricate Mg/Al LMCs. It can effectively promote the deformation of the hard layer and generate a wavy interface, resulting in the enhancement of the bonding quality and rolling quality.In the current review, the effects of rolling parameters and subsequent annealing on the interface structure of Mg/Al LMCs were elaborated in detail. The application of some special rolling techniques in the preparation of Mg/Al LMCs was also summarized. The latest research results on the relationship between interface structure and mechanical properties of Mg/Al LMCs were reviewed. Finally, further research directions in this field were proposed.

Identification of Growth Promoter to Fabrication SiCp/Al₂O₃Ceramic Matrix Composites Prepared by Directed Metal Oxidation of An Al Alloy

SiC particulates reinforced alumina matrix composites were fabricated using Directed Metal Oxidation (DIMOX) process. Continuous oxidation of an Al-Si-Mg-Zn alloy with different interlayers (dopents) as growth promoters, will encompasses the early heating of the alloy ingot, melting and continued heating to temperature in the narrow range of 950°C to 980°C in an atmosphere of oxygen. Varying interlayers (dopents) are incorporated to examine the growth conditions of the composite materials and to identification of suitable growth promoter. The process is extremely difficult because molten aluminum does not oxidize after prolonged duration at high temperatures due to the formation of a passivating oxide layer. It is known that the Lanxide Corporation had used a combination of dopents to cause the growth of alumina from molten metal. This growth was directed, i.e. the growth is allowed only in the required direction and restricted in the other directions. The react nature of the dopants was a trade secret. Though it is roughly known that Mg and Si in the Al melt can aid growth, additional dopents used, the temperatures at which the process was carried out, the experimental configurations that aided directed growth were not precisely known. In this paper we have evaluated the conditions in which composites can be grown in large enough sizes for evaluation application and have arrived at a procedure that enables the fabrication of large composite samples by determining the suitable growth promoter (dopant). Scanning electron microscopic, EDS analysis of the composite was found to contain a continuous network of Al2O3, which was predominantly free of grain-boundary phases, a continuous network of Al alloy. Fabrication of large enough samples was done only by the inventor company and the property measurements by the company were confirmed to those needed to enable immediate applications. Since there are a large number of variable affecting robust growth of the composite, fabrication large sized samples for measurements is a difficult task. In the present work, to identify a suitable window of parameters that enables robust growth of the composite has been attempted.

Lithiated Nafion-garnet ceramic composite electrolyte membrane for solid-state lithium metal battery

Single-ion conducting solid polymer electrolytes are expected to play a vital role in the realization of solid-state Li metal batteries.In this work,a lithiated Nafion(Li-Nafion)-garnet ceramic Li6.25La3 Zr2 Al0.25O12(LLZAO)composite solid electrolyte(CSE)membrane with 30μm thickness was prepared for the first time.By employing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope,the interaction between LLZAO and Li-Nafion was investigated.It is found that the LLZAO interacts with the Li-Nafion to form a space charge layer at the interface between LLZAO and Li-Nafion.The space charge layer reduces the migration barrier of Li-ions and improves the ionic conductivity of the CSE membrane.The CSE membrane containing 10 wt%LLZAO exhibits the highest ionic conductivity of2.26×10-4 S cm-1 at 30℃among the pristine Li-Nafion membrane,the membrane containing 5 wt%,20 wt%,and 30 wt%LLZAO,respectively.It also exhibits a high Li-ion transference number of 0.92,and a broader electrochemical window of 0-+4.8 V vs.Li+/Li than that of 0-+4.0 V vs.Li+/Li for the pristine Li-Nafion membrane.It is observed that the CSE membrane not only inhibits the growth of Li dendrites but also keeps excellent electrochemical stability with the Li electrode.Benefitting from the above merits,the solid-state LiFePO4/Li cell fabricated with the CSE membrane was practically charged and discharged at 30℃.The cell exhibits an initial reversible discharge specific capacity of 160 mAh g-1 with 97%capacity retention after 100 cycles at 0.2 C,and maintains discharge specific capacity of 126 mAh g-1 after500 cycles at 1 C.The CSE membrane prepared with Li-Nafion and LLZAO is proved to be a promising solid electrolyte for advanced solid-state Li metal batteries.

Vacuum brazing of Si/SiC ceramic composite and Invar alloy using TiSOCu-W filler metals

Si/SiC ceramic composite and lnvar alloy were successfidly joined by vacuum brazing using Ti5OCu-W filler metals into which W was added to release the thermal stress of the brazed joint. Microstructures of the brazed joints were irwestigated by scanning electron micrascope （SEM） and energy dispersive spectrometer （EDS）. The mechanical properties of the brazed joints were measured by shearing tests. The results showed that the brazed joints were composed of Ti-Cu phase, W phase and Ti-Si phase. W had no effect on the wettability and mobility of the .filler metals. The growth of Ti2 Cu phase was restrained, and the reaction between ceramic composite and filler metals was weakened. The specimen, brazed at 970°C for 5 rain, had the maximum shear strength of 108 MPa at room temperature.

Numerical simulation of temperature field in plasma-arc flexible forming of laminated-composite metal sheets

Flexible forming of laminated-composite metal sheets (LCMS) using plasma arc is a latest technique, which produces LCMS components by thermal stress without mould and external force. Considering that the controllable temperature field is the key during the forming process, a three-layer FEM model, based on the characteristics along LCMS thickness direction, was developed to study the variation rules of temperature field, which was verified robustness by experimental validation. Besides, the influences of process parameters such as plasma arc power, scanning speed and plasma arc diameter on LCMS temperature field were performed. The comparisons of LCMS with single layer metal sheet (SLMS) show the temperature difference of LCMS along thickness direction is smaller than that of SLMS, but the heat-affected zone of LCMS along X axis is wider than that of SLMS under the same process parameters.

Mechanical Behaviors of ZrO_2-Al_2O_3 Ceramic Composites with Y_2O_3 as Stabilizer

The ZrO2-Al2O3 ceramic composites were prepared by appropriate techniques with commercial ZrO2 and Al2O3 powders as raw materials and Y2O3 as stabilizer. The results indicate that with the introduction of Al2O3 into the ZrO2 matrix where the quantity of additive Y2O3 is 3.5% (mole fraction), the growth of ZrO2 grains is efficiently inhibited, which helps the ZrO2 grains exist in a metastable tetragonal manner; thus higher strength and toughness are acquired. When the content of alumina is 20% (mass fraction), the bending strength and fracture toughness of the composites are 676.7 MPa and 10 MPa·m1/2 respectively, the mechanical behaviors are close to those prepared with ZrO2 and Al2O3 powders synthesized through wet chemical approach. The mechanical behaviors of the composites are well improved owing to the dispersion toughening of alumina grains and phase transformation toughening of zirconia grains.

Coarse WC Particles Ceramic-Metal Composite Coating by Laser Cladding

The coarse WC particles ceramic-metal com- posite coatings with WC density of 67 wt-% and thickness of 1.0-1.2 mm have been cladded on 20Ni4Mo steel surface by a 2 kW CO_2 laser.The sintered WC particles with the size of 600-1000 μm are chosen as the main strengthening phase, Ni-base self-flux alloy as the binder in the compo- site coatings.The microstructure and microhardness of both WC particles and binder are analysed.The rigid ball indention with acoustic emission technique is used to evaluate the brittleness of the coating.Finally,the abrasive wear resistance of the coating is tested.Besides,the coatings with the same ratio and size of WC parti- cles in low carbon steel tube rod were cladded on 20Ni4Mo steel by atomic hydrogen welding tech- nique and analysed by the same way,their results are compared.

Metal-Ceramic Smart Composite in Ti(C,N)-Ni-Mo-W System

Goal: Low wolfram-containing cutting composite was obtained by fusion of titanium carbonitride and high melting temperature binding metallic phase. Method: The composite was obtained via compaction and further sintering in vacuum furnace at 1600°C under 10-3 Pa pressure. Phase analysis was performed on X-ray apparatus “DRON-3”;microstructure was determined by electron microscope NANOLAB-7, microhardness by MUCKE-mark microhardness meter;relative resistance of cutters was evaluated at similar modes of cutting according to distances they passed;experiments were carried out on turning lathe. Results: Physical-mechanical characteristics of the obtained composite are: σbend, = 1000 - 1150 MPa, σbend1000°C = 600 MPa, HV = 14 GPa;HV1000°C = 6.5 GPa. High speeds of cutting and high temperatures resistance of cutters made by the obtained composites exceeds 1.5 - 2-folds that of cutters made of the known BK8 and KNT20 hard alloys. Conclusion: Its application is recommended in hot steel treatment by cutting, for removal of the so-called burrs, as well as in steel treatment by cutting during pure and semi-pure operations. It can also be used in jet engines, chemical industry apparatuses, electric-vacuum devices, in industry of responsible details of rockets, nuclear reactors, flying apparatuses.

Joining mechanism of field-assisted diffusion bonding of solid electrolyte ceramic to metals

Field assisted diffusion bonding applied in the joining of solid electrolyte borosilicate glass, β ″ Al 2O 3, Y 2O ZrO 2 to monocrystal silicate and aluminum were proceeded with bonding machine in the assistance of static electric field. TEM, SEM, XRD and other means were applied to investigate and analyze microstructure of interface. It is supposed that the interfacial area is a model of metal oxides ceramic, and the joining mechanism is solid diffusion joining and static electric bonding. The process of ions migration and accumulation under electric field is the most essential factor for the anodic oxidation and interfacial joining. Temperature and voltage are the basic factors of the solid diffusion bonding of interfacial oxidation. And voltage, temperature, pressure and the condition of surface are the most important factors that govern the bonding process.

Reinforcing effect of laminate structure on the fracture toughness of Al3Ti intermetallic

Metal/intermetallic laminate composites can improve the mechanical properties of intermetallic materials using metal layers. In recent years, titanium aluminide intermetallics have received increasing attention due to their excellent performance properties, such as high melting point, high specific strength and stiffness, and good corrosion resistance. However, the low fracture toughness of Al3Ti alloys at room temperature has greatly limited their application, and fiber or particle reinforcement has not shown a significant toughening effect. Research into the reinforcing effects of the interface and near-interface zone on the fracture behavior of Al3Ti is lacking. Ti/Al3Ti metal/intermetallic laminate composite was synthesized from titanium and aluminum foils using vacuum hot-pressed sintering technology. The microstructure of the prepared material was analyzed by scanning electron microscope and electron backscattered diffraction. Results illustrate that both Ti and Al3Ti were single-phase and there was a noticeable stress concentration on the interface. To obtain indentation and cracks, loads were applied to different locations of the composite by a microhardness tester. The growth path of the cracks was then observed under microscope, showing that crack propagation was prevented by the interface between the Ti and Al3Ti layers, and the cracks that propagated parallel to the laminate shifted to the interface. Fracture toughness of the different areas, including Al3Ti layers, interface, and near-interface zone, were measured by the indentation fracture method. The fracture toughness at and near the interface was 1.7 and 2 times that of the Al3Ti layers, respectively. Results indicate that crack blunting and crack front convolution by the laminate structure was primarily responsible for increased toughness.

Interaction between AE44 magnesium alloy and SiC-Al_2O_3-SiO_2 ceramic foam

The interaction between a molten magnesium alloy AE44 and a SiC?Al2O3?SiO2 ceramics and the resulting reaction products were studied. The samples were investigated using optical and electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. SiO2was predominantly reduced by Mg during the contact of the magnesium-rich melt with the ceramics. The main reaction product was MgO, whilst Si dissolved in the melt. Two novel tetragonal phases formed at the interface: AlSiRE and AlMgSiRE, having a specific mutual crystallographic orientation relationship. The interactions resulted in strongly connected interfaces between the metal and ceramics after short interaction time; however, interactions lead to disintegration of the ceramics after longer contact time.

Modeling mechanical behaviors of composites with various ratios of matrixeinclusion properties using movable cellular automaton method

Two classes of composite materials are considered: classical metaleceramic composites with reinforcing hard inclusions as well as hard ceramics matrix with soft gel inclusions. Movable cellular automaton method is used for modeling the mechanical behaviors of such different heterogeneous materials. The method is based on particle approach and may be considered as a kind of discrete element method. The main feature of the method is the use of many-body forces of inter-element interaction within the formalism of simply deformable element approximation. It was shown that the strength of reinforcing particles and the width of particle-binder interphase boundaries had determining influence on the service characteristics of metaleceramic composite. In particular, the increasing of strength of carbide inclusions may lead to significant increase in the strength and ultimate strain of composite material. On the example of porous zirconia ceramics it was shown that the change in the mechanical properties of pore surface leads to the corresponding change in effective elastic modulus and strength limit of the ceramic sample. The less is the pore size, the more is this effect. The increase in the elastic properties of pore surface of ceramics may reduce its fracture energy.

3D core-shell nanofibers framework and functional ceramic nanoparticles synergistically reinforced composite polymer electrolytes for high-performance all-solid-state lithium metal battery

Satisfactory ionic conductivity,excellent mechanical stability,and high-temperature resistance are the prerequisites for the safe application of solid polymer electrolytes(SPEs)in all-solid-state lithium metal batteries(ASSLMBs).In this study,a novel poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide)(PMIA)-core/poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO)-shell nanofiber membrane and the functional Li_(6.4)La_(3)Zr_(1.4)Ta_(0.6)O_(12)(LLZTO)ceramic nanopar-ticle are simultaneously introduced into the PEO-based SPEs to prepare composite polymer electrolytes(CPEs).The core PMIA layer of composite nanofibers can greatly improve the mechanical strength and thermal stability of the CPEs,while the shell PEO layer can provide the 3D continuous transport channels for lithium ions.In addition,the introduction of functional LLZTO nanoparticle not only reduces the crys-tallinity of PEO,but also promotes the dissociation of lithium salts and releases more Li^(+)ions through its interaction with the Lewis acid-base of anions,thereby overall improving the transport of lithium ions.Consequently,the optimized CPEs present high ionic conductivity of 1.38×10^(−4)S/cm at 30℃,signifi-cantly improved mechanical strength(8.5 MPa),remarkable thermal stability(without obvious shrinkage at 150℃),and conspicuous Li dendrites blocking ability(>1800 h).The CPEs also both have good com-patibility and cyclic stability with LiFePO_(4)(>2000 cycles)and high-voltage LiNi_(0.8)Mn_(0.1)Co_(0.1)O_(2)(NMC811)(>500 cycles)cathodes.In addition,even at low temperature(40℃),the assembled LiFePO4/CPEs/Li bat-tery still can cycle stably.The novel design can provide an effective way to exploit high-performance solid-state electrolytes.

Penetration resistance of Al_(2)O_(3) ceramic-ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE)composite armor:Experimental and numerical investigations

To enhance the protective performance of ceramic composite armor,ballistic penetration experiments were conducted on Al_(2)O_(3) ceramic-ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE)composite armor with different thickness configurations.The damage and failure modes of hard projectiles and ceramic-fiber composite targets were analyzed.The recovered projectiles and ceramic fragments were sieved and weighed at multiple stages,revealing a positive correlation between the degree of fragmentation of the projectiles and ceramics and the overall ballistic resistance of the composite targets.Numerical simulations were performed using the LS-DYNA finite element software,and the simulation results showed high consistency with the experimental results,confirming the validity of the material parameters.The results indicate that the projectile heads primarily exhibited crushing and abrasive fragmentation.Larger projectile fragments mainly resulted from tensile and shear stress-induced failure.The failure modes of the composite targets included the formation of ceramic cones and radial cracks under high-velocity impacts.The UHMWPE laminated plates exhibited interlayer separation caused by tensile waves,permanent plastic deformation of the rear surface bulging,and perforation failure primarily due to shear forces.Through extended numerical simulations,while maintaining the same areal density and configuration of9 mm Al_(2)O_(3) ceramic+12 mm UHMWPE laminated composite armor,the thickness configurations of the Al_(2)O_(3) ceramic and UHMWPE laminated backplates were varied,and various thicknesses of UHMWPE laminates were simulated as the cover layer for the ceramic panels.The simulation results indicated that the composite armor configuration of 10 mm Al_(2)O_(3) ceramic+8 mm UHMWPE composite armor increased energy absorption by13.48%.When altering the cover layer thickness,a 4 mm UHMWPE+9 mm Al_(2)O_(3)+8 mm UHMWPE composite armor demonstrated a 27.11%improvement in energy absorption,showing a relatively significant enhancement.

Ultra-thin Laminated Metal Composites with Ultra-high Strength and Excellent Soft Magnetic Properties

Structural metallic materials with excellent functional performance and lightweight features have always been the goal of material scientists’ pursuit.In this work,laminated metal composites of different thicknesses(less than 0.4 mm) composed of structural materials with great differences in deformation ability were successfully fabricated via a novel processing procedure.Ultra-high strength and excellent soft magnetic properties were combined perfectly in the ultra-thin and super-light laminated metal composite strips due to unique structural design and essential attributes of the initial materials.These results emphasize the significant potential application value of the ultra-thin laminated metal composites in the field of structural and functional integration.

Effect of lamellar structural parameters on the bending fracture behavior of AA1100/AA7075 laminated metal composites

The lamellar structure has an important impact on the mechanical properties of dissimilar laminated metal composites(LMCs),including the thickness ratio of dissimilar metal constituent layers and the number of layers.AA1100 and AA7075 with thickness ratios of 1:4 and 3:4 were fabricated for multilayer AA1100/AA7075 LMCs by hot accumulative roll bonding(ARB)technology.The bending fracture characteristics of AA1100/AA7075 LMCs with different thickness ratios and numbers of constituent layers were investigated.The research results indicated that AA1100/AA7075 LMCs with a low thickness ratio exhibited better bending ductility and toughness than those with a high thickness ratio,which was attributed to the crack growth resistance caused by the thickness of the soft AA1100 layer.The toughening mechanism introduced by crack deflection or arresting contributed to the enhancement in the toughness of the LMCs compared with that of the single 7075 Al layer.The bonding interfaces of AA1100/AA7075 LMCs with different numbers of layers are continuous and straight due to the high ARB temperature.A decrease in bending toughness was observed as the number of layers increased.Unlike LMCs with a low number of layers,crack deflection or interface delamination is also considered a main toughening mechanism in dissimilar LMCs in addition to the thickness effect.

Influence of Features of Interphase Boundaries on Mechanical Properties and Fracture Pattern in Metal-Ceramic Composites

The results of a theoretical study on the influence of strength of interphase boundaries in metal-ceramic composite on macroscopical characteristics of composite response such as strength, deformation capacity, fracture energy and fracture pattern are presented. The study was conducted by means of computer-aided simulation by means of movable cellular automaton method taking account of a developed ＂mesoscopical＂ structural model of particle-reinforced composite. The strength of interphase boundaries is found to be a key structural factor determining not only the strength properties of metal-ceramic composite, but also the pattern and rate of fracture. The principles for achievement of the high-strength values of particle/binder interfaces in the metal-ceramic composition due to the formation of the wide transition zones （areas of variable chemical composition） at the interphase boundaries are discussed. Simulation results confirm that such transition zones provide a change in fracture mechanism and make the achievement of a high-strength and a high deformation capacity of metal-ceramic composite possible.

Shear banding-inducedslip enables unprecedented strength-ductility combination of laminated metallic composites

Shear bands in metallic materials have been reported to be catastrophic because they normally lead to non-uniform plastic deformation. Ductility of laminated metallic composites deteriorates with increasing processing strain, particularly for those having hexagonal-close-packed(hcp) constituents due to inadequate slip systems and consequently prominent shear banding. Here, we propose a design strategy that counterintuitively tolerates the bands with localized strains, i.e. the shear banded laminar(SBL) structure, which promotes <c+a> dislocation activation in hcp metals and renders unprecedented strengthductility combination in hcp-metal-based composites fabricated by accumulative roll bonding(ARB). The SBL structure is characterized with one soft hcp metal constrained by adjacent hard metal in which dislocations have been accumulated near the bimetal interfaces. High-energy X-ray diffraction astonishingly reveals that more than 90% of dislocations are non-basal in Ti layers of the SBL Ti/Nb composite processed by eight ARB cycles. Moreover, <c+a> dislocations occupy a high fraction of ~30%, promoting further <c+a>cross slip. The unique stress field tailored by both shear banding and heterophase interface-mediated deformation accommodation triggers important <c+a> slip. This SBL design is of significance for developing hcp-based laminates and other heterostructured materials with high performances.