Weibull statistical analysis of tensile strength data of short mullite fibre reinforced aluminium alloy composite

A statistical evaluation by means of Weibull statistics was carried out on the tensile strength data of a short mullite fibre reinforced aluminium all oy composite, which was prepared by squeeze casting. The results show that the material has a high and reliable tensile strength. The area fractions o f the fibres on the cut surface and on the fracture surface of specimens ha ve been statistically analysed. The fibre distribution shows heterogeneity in the microsturcture. On the cut surface the average area fraction of fibr es which make large angles with the normal of the cut surface (denoted as A ,) is slightly less than that of those fibres which make a small angle with the normal of the cut surface (denoted as A,). However, on the fracture su rface of the composite, A, is much bigger than A,, and the lower the tensil e strength of the specimen, the bigger is A, on the fracture surface. Debon ding of the interface between the large angle fibres and the matrix is an i mportant cause of failure of the composite, and the non-uniform distributio n of the large angle fibres is one of the main causes of the large scatter in the data. MST/4065.