Strengthening Mechanisms and Mechanical Characteristics of Heterogeneous CNT/Al Composites by Finite Element Simulation

doi:10.1007/s40195-024-01767-0

Abstract

Abstract:

The refined explicit finite element scheme considering various strengthening mechanisms and damage modes is proposed for simulation of deformation processes and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced bimodal-grained aluminum matrix nanocomposites. Firstly, the detailed microstructure model is established by constructing the geometry models of CNTs and grain boundaries, which automatically incorporates grain refinement strengthening and load transfer effect. Secondly, a finite element formulation based on the conventional theory of mechanical-based strain gradient plasticity is developed. Furthermore, the deformation and fracture modes for the nanocomposites with various contents and distributions of coarse grains (CGs) are explored based on the scheme. The results indicate that ductility of the composites first increases and then decreases as the content of CGs rises. Moreover, the dispersed distribution exhibits better ductility than concentrated one. Additionally, grain boundaries proved to be the weakest component within the micromodel. A series of interesting phenomena have been observed and discussed upon the refined simulation scheme. This work contributes to the design and further development of CNT/Al nanocomposites, and the proposed scheme can be extended to various bimodal metal composites.

Key words: Mechanical properties, Carbon nanotube (CNT), Bimodal metal matrix nanocomposites, Refined explicit finite element simulation, Microstructure design

Hui Feng, Shu Yang, Shengyuan Yang, Li Zhou, Junfan Zhang, Zongyi Ma. Strengthening Mechanisms and Mechanical Characteristics of Heterogeneous CNT/Al Composites by Finite Element Simulation[J]. Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters), 2024, 37(12): 2106-2120.

Figures/Tables 23

Fig. 1 Microstructure models: a detailed microstructure model for numerical analysis, b locally enlarged model, c microstructure observed in experiment

Fig. 2 Discretization preprocessing and model: a details of model processing, b whole mesh, c locally enlarged mesh

Fig. 3 Flowchart of user defined material module

Fig. 4 Microstructure models with various RVE sizes: a 1 CG, b 4 CGs, c 9 CGs

Fig. 5 Stress-strain relationship for models with various RVE sizes

Table 1 Parameters for 2009Al matrix

	Parameter	Value
Basic parameters for 2009Al matrix [28]	Empirical coefficient, α	0.3
	Taylor factor, m	3.06
	Shear modulus, G	28,195 MPa
	Magnitude of the Burgers vector, b	0.286 nm
	Nye factor, $\overline{r}$	1.9
Material parameters for CG	Material constant, A	235 MPa
	Material constant, B	290 MPa
	Material constant, n	0.45
	Failure strain, ε_f	1.4
Material parameters for UFG	Material constant, A	500 MPa
	Material constant, B	300 MPa
	Material constant, n	0.38
	Failure strain, ε_f	1.2
Material parameters for grain boundary	Yield stress, σ₀	900 MPa
Material parameters for grain boundary	Failure strain, ε_f	0.3

Fig. 6 Mechanical properties for coarse and ultra-fine grains

Fig. 7 Microstructure models with various contents of CGs: a 10%, b 15%, c 20%, d 25%, e 30%

Fig. 8 Stress-strain relationship for models with various contents of CGs

Table 2 Mechanical properties for models with various contents of CGs

Specimen	YS (MPa)	El (%)
Uniform	637	4.6
Bimodal-10% CGs	576	4.8
Bimodal-15% CGs	575	5.1
Bimodal-20% CGs	560	5.8
Bimodal-25% CGs	510	4.8
Bimodal-30% CGs	501	5.0

Fig. 9 Distribution of the effective stress for models with various contents of CGs under the macroscopic applied strain of 2.0%: a 10%, b 15%, c 20%, d 25%, e 30%

Fig. 10 Effective plastic strain εeq for model with 20% volume fraction of CGs: a at 1% El, b at 3% El, c at 5% El

Table 3 Fracture processes for models with various contents of CGs

Fig. 11 Typical fracture modes in the matrix: a grain boundary of UFGs, b interior of CGs, c interface of UFGs and CGs

Fig. 12 Microstructure models with various distributions of CGs: a random, b parallel, c vertical, d dispersed, e gathered

Fig. 13 Stress-strain relationship for models with various distributions of CGs

Table 4 Mechanical properties for models with various distributions of CGs

Specimen	YS (MPa)	El (%)
Uniform	637	4.6
Random	560	5.8
Parallel	547	5.0
Vertical	557	5.3
Dispersed	553	5.2
Gathered	553	5.3

Fig. 14 Distribution of the effective stress for models with various distributions of CGs under the macroscopic applied strain of 3.0%: a random, b parallel, c vertical, d dispersed, e gathered

Table 5 Fracture processes for micromodels with various distributions of CGs

Fig. 15 Deformation process for bimodal composite material with 20% volume fraction and ‘random’ distribution of CGs

Fig. 16 Illustration of double yielding phenomenon: a yield curves, b and c locally enlarged curves

Fig. 17 CNTs bear much higher stress during deformation: a stress distribution for the optimal microstructure model, b and c locally enlarged figures

Fig. 18 Pinning role of CNTs: a stress distribution during failure for the optimal microstructure model, b and c locally enlarged figures

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