Small punch testing of advanced metal matrix composites
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2011
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This Doctoral thesis investigates the use of the small punch test (SPT) as a means for
assessing yield strength and fracture toughness from alloys and metal matrix composites
(MMCs). Metal matrix composites have been implemented in many high performance
applications due to their high strength to weight ratio, however, low fracture toughness
and ductility remain a concern for these materials. Therefore, techniques for
conventional mechanical tests including tensile and fracture toughness tests have been
utilised to assess the mechanical performance for these materials, however, more often
than not, situations will arise where there are limited volumes of material for testing,
this is especially true in the case of MMCs. Thus, there is great demand for mechanical
tests that are capable of assessing small samples. The small punch test (SPT) is
proposed as a suitable small specimen mechanical test technique that is capable to meet
this challenge. This research examines the SPT on MMCs and the effect of ceramic
reinforcement content on yield strength and fracture toughness. To achieve this small
punch, tensile and fracture toughness tests are performed on as-received 7A04-T6
aluminium and TC4 titanium alloy and related MMCs. In particular, small punch values
such as the small punch elastic-plastic load, Py, equivalent fracture strain, eqF, and small
punch energy, ESP, are correlated against conventional tensile yield strength, sYS, and
plane-strain fracture toughness, J1c, values. Furthermore, empirical, analytical and
numerical solutions are assessed. A polynomial relationship is found to correspond well
with J1c-eqF relationship for both elastic and elastic-plastic materials. This research
further investigates and develops the application of the SPT which may lead to an
inexpensive straightforward multi-mechanical non-destructive test technique for
advanced alloys and MMCs.
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