Abstract
This paper presents the results of an analytical-experimental investigation of the effects of superposed hydrostatic stress on the mechanical properties of particulate reinforced metal-matrix composites. Tension experiments have been conducted with dif ferent levels of superposed pressure on aluminum alloys reinforced with Al2 O3 particu lates. Stress-strain curves have been experimentally generated as functions of pressure, while the behavior has been modeled analytically using the approximate mean-field theory developed by Weng and co-workers for plasticity of two-phase composites (Tandon and Weng, 1988; Zhao and Weng, 1990; Qiu and Weng, 1991). Using Berveiller-Zaoui's ap proximation (1979), the constraint due to the matrix phase is characterized by the secant moduli of the matrix, while the interaction of the inclusions is accounted for by the Mori- Tanaka mean-field theory. The stress-strain curves predicted by the analytical model show good agreement with those generated in the experimental program.
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