Re. Dutton et al., VALIDATION OF COMPUTER-MODELS FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF METAL-MATRIX COMPOSITES, Materials science & engineering. A, Structural materials: properties, microstructure and processing, 221(1-2), 1996, pp. 85-93
Finite element method (FEM) simulation results were compared to experi
mental observations to establish the suitability of advanced modeling
techniques for the prediction of the consolidation behavior of continu
ous fiber, metal-matrix composites. Two consolidation techniques were
examined: hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of foil-fiber-foil layups and H
IP of tapecast monotapes. In both cases, the matrix was the alpha-two
titanium aluminide alloy Ti-24Al-11Nb (a/o), and the fibers were silic
on carbide. Model predictions and accompanying experimental measuremen
ts revealed the important effect of the interface friction-shear facto
r on consolidation time for foil-fiber-foil layups. In addition, the p
redicted consolidation times for the foil-fiber-foil method were found
to be sensitive to small variations in HIP temperature and material f
low properties such as the strain-rate sensitivity, especially for low
consolidation temperatures. By contrast, predicted consolidation time
s for tapecast monotape layups were relatively insensitive to the magn
itude of the interface friction-shear factor. The kinetics of densific
ation of the tapecast monotapes were well described using an FEM model
incorporating a material-sensitive yield function and associated flow
rule.