Numerical study of internal load transfer in metal/ceramic composites based on freeze-cast ceramic preforms and experimental validation

The elastic-plastic deformation and internal load transfer in metal/ceramic composites are studied in this work both numerically and experimentally. The composite was fabricated by squeeze-casting AlSi12 melt in an open porous preform made by freeze-casting and drying of alumina suspension. Such composites exhibit a complex microstructure composed of lamellar domains. Single-domain samples were extracted from bulk material. Uniaxial compression tests were carried out parallel to the direction of the alternating metallic alloy and ceramic lamellae in the plane normal to the direction of freeze-casting. This loading mode is selected as highest load transfer occurs when loaded along the ceramic lamellae. Numerical modeling was done using the finite element method using quasi-3D microstructure based on metallographic 2D section and a modified Voigt homogenization technique assuming plastic behavior of the metallic alloy, absence of any damage and ideal interface between the phases. Internal load transfer mechanism was predicted for composites with different ceramic volume fractions. Results show that at any applied stress, as the ceramic content increases, the phase stress in alumina along the loading direction continuously decreases. Experimental validation of the numerical results is carried out by in-situ compression test along with energy dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction in one sample with 41 vol% ceramic. Results show that both the numerical techniques yield similar results, which match well with the experimental measurements. The ratio of the phase stress to the applied stress in alumina reaches a highest value between 2 and 2.5 up to a compressive stress of about 300 MPa. At higher applied stresses both the experimentally determined lattice microstrain and the phase stress along the loading direction in alumina decrease due to the initiation of possible damage. This study shows that the applied economic and more flexible homogenization technique is a viable tool for modeling of this composite structure.