Showing papers on "Brittleness published in 2015"

Strong, Tough and Stiff Bioinspired Ceramics from Brittle Constituents

Abstract: High strength and high toughness are usually mutually exclusive in engineering materials. Improving the toughness of strong but brittle materials like ceramics thus relies on the introduction of a metallic or polymeric ductile phase to dissipate energy, which conversely decreases the strength, stiffness, and the ability to operate at high temperature. In many natural materials, toughness is achieved through a combination of multiple mechanisms operating at different length scales but such structures have been extremely difficult to replicate. Building upon such biological structures, we demonstrate a simple approach that yields bulk ceramics characterized by a unique combination of high strength (470 MPa), high toughness (22 MPa.m1/2), and high stiffness (290 GPa) without the assistance of a ductile phase. Because only mineral constituents were used, this material retains its mechanical properties at high temperature (600{\deg}C). The bioinspired, material-independent design presented here is a specific but relevant example of a strong, tough, and stiff material, in great need for structural, transportations, and energy-related applications.

Brittle intermetallic compound makes ultrastrong low-density steel with large ductility

Abstract: Although steel has been the workhorse of the automotive industry since the 1920s, the share by weight of steel and iron in an average light vehicle is now gradually decreasing, from 68.1 per cent in 1995 to 60.1 per cent in 2011 (refs 1, 2). This has been driven by the low strength-to-weight ratio (specific strength) of iron and steel, and the desire to improve such mechanical properties with other materials. Recently, high-aluminium low-density steels have been actively studied as a means of increasing the specific strength of an alloy by reducing its density. But with increasing aluminium content a problem is encountered: brittle intermetallic compounds can form in the resulting alloys, leading to poor ductility. Here we show that an FeAl-type brittle but hard intermetallic compound (B2) can be effectively used as a strengthening second phase in high-aluminium low-density steel, while alleviating its harmful effect on ductility by controlling its morphology and dispersion. The specific tensile strength and ductility of the developed steel improve on those of the lightest and strongest metallic materials known, titanium alloys. We found that alloying of nickel catalyses the precipitation of nanometre-sized B2 particles in the face-centred cubic matrix of high-aluminium low-density steel during heat treatment of cold-rolled sheet steel. Our results demonstrate how intermetallic compounds can be harnessed in the alloy design of lightweight steels for structural applications and others.

Why do cracks branch? A peridynamic investigation of dynamic brittle fracture

Abstract: In this paper we review the peridynamic model for brittle fracture and use it to investigate crack branching in brittle homogeneous and isotropic materials. The peridynamic simulations offer a possible explanation for the generation of dynamic instabilities in dynamic brittle crack growth and crack branching. We focus on two systems, glass and homalite, often used in crack branching experiments. After a brief review of theoretical and computational models on crack branching, we discuss the peridynamic model for dynamic fracture in linear elastic–brittle materials. Three loading types are used to investigate the role of stress waves interactions on crack propagation and branching. We analyze the influence of sample geometry on branching. Simulation results are compared with experimental ones in terms of crack patterns, propagation speed at branching and branching angles. The peridynamic results indicate that as stress intensity around the crack tip increases, stress waves pile-up against the material directly in front of the crack tip that moves against the advancing crack; this process “deflects” the strain energy away from the symmetry line and into the crack surfaces creating damage away from the crack line. This damage “migration”, seen as roughness on the crack surface in experiments, modifies, in turn, the strain energy landscape around the crack tip and leads to preferential crack growth directions that branch from the original crack line. We argue that nonlocality of damage growth is one key feature in modeling of the crack branching phenomenon in brittle fracture. The results show that, at least to first order, no ingredients beyond linear elasticity and a capable damage model are necessary to explain/predict crack branching in brittle homogeneous and isotropic materials.

Energy Dissipation and Release During Coal Failure Under Conventional Triaxial Compression

Abstract: Theoretical and experimental studies have revealed that energy dissipation and release play an important role in the deformation and failure of coal rocks. To determine the relationship between energy transformation and coal failure, the mechanical behaviors of coal specimens taken from a 600-m deep mine were investigated by conventional triaxial compression tests using five different confining pressures. Each coal specimen was scanned by microfocus computed tomography before and after testing to examine the crack patterns. Sieve analysis was used to measure the post-failure coal fragments, and a fractal model was developed for describing the size distribution of the fragments. Based on the test results, a damage evolution model of the rigidity degeneration of coal before the peak strength was also developed and used to determine the initial damage and critical damage variables. It was found that the peak strength increased with increasing confining pressure, but the critical damage variable was almost invariant. More new cracks were initiated in the coal specimens when there was no confining pressure or the pressure was too high. The parameters of failure energy ratio β and stress drop coefficient α are further proposed to describe the failure mode of coal under different confining pressures. The test results revealed that β was approximately linearly related to the fractal dimension of the coal fragments and that a higher failure energy ratio corresponded to a larger fractal dimension and more severe failure. The stress drop coefficient α decreased approximately exponentially with increasing confining pressure, and could be used to appropriately describe the evolution of the coal failure mode from brittle to ductile with increasing confining pressure. A large β and small α under a high confining pressure were noticed during the tests, which implied that the failure of the coal was a kind of pseudo-ductile failure. Brittle failure occurred when the confining pressure was unloaded—an observation that is important for the safety assessment of deep mines, where a high in situ stress might result in brittle failure of the coal seam, or sudden outburst.

Measurement of fracture toughness by nanoindentation methods: Recent advances and future challenges

Abstract: In this paper, we describe recent advances and developments for the measurement of fracture toughness at small scales by the use of nanoindentation-based methods including techniques based on micro-cantilever, beam bending and micro-pillar splitting. A critical comparison of the techniques is made by testing a selected group of bulk and thin film materials. For pillar splitting, cohesive zone finite element simulations are used to validate a simple relationship between the critical load at failure, the pillar radius, and the fracture toughness for a range of material properties and coating/substrate combinations. The minimum pillar diameter required for nucleation and growth of a crack during indentation is also estimated. An analysis of pillar splitting for a film on a dissimilar substrate material shows that the critical load for splitting is relatively insensitive to the substrate compliance for a large range of material properties. Experimental results from a selected group of materials show good agreement between single cantilever and pillar splitting methods, while a discrepancy of ∼25% is found between the pillar splitting technique and double-cantilever testing. It is concluded that both the micro-cantilever and pillar splitting techniques are valuable methods for micro-scale assessment of fracture toughness of brittle ceramics, provided the underlying assumptions can be validated. Although the pillar splitting method has some advantages because of the simplicity of sample preparation and testing, it is not applicable to most metals because their higher toughness prevents splitting, and in this case, micro-cantilever bend testing is preferred.

Phase-field modeling and simulation of fracture in brittle materials with strongly anisotropic surface energy

Abstract: Crack propagation in brittle materials with anisotropic surface energy is important in applications involving single crystals, extruded polymers, or geological and organic materials. Furthermore, when this anisotropy is strong, the phenomenology of crack propagation becomes very rich, with forbidden crack propagation directions or complex sawtooth crack patterns. This problem interrogates fundamental issues in fracture mechanics, including the principles behind the selection of crack direction. Here, we propose a variational phase-field model for strongly anisotropic fracture, which resorts to the extended Cahn-Hilliard framework proposed in the context of crystal growth. Previous phase-field models for anisotropic fracture were formulated in a framework only allowing for weak anisotropy. We implement numerically our higher-order phase-field model with smooth local maximum entropy approximants in a direct Galerkin method. The numerical results exhibit all the features of strongly anisotropic fracture and reproduce strikingly well recent experimental observations.

Fracture Toughness and Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of As-Cast High-Entropy Alloys

Abstract: The fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth behavior of two as-vacuum arc cast high-entropy alloys (HEAs) (Al0.2CrFeNiTi0.2 and AlCrFeNi2Cu) were determined. A microstructure examination of both HEA alloys revealed a two-phase structure consisting of body-centered cubic (bcc) and face-centered cubic (fcc) phases. The notched and fatigue precracked toughness values were in the range of those reported in the literature for two-phase alloys but significantly less than recent reports on a single phase fcc-HEA that was deformation processed. Fatigue crack growth experiments revealed high fatigue thresholds that decreased significantly with an increase in load ratio, while Paris law slopes exhibited metallic-like behavior at low R with significant increases at high R. Fracture surface examinations revealed combinations of brittle and ductile/dimpled regions at overload, with some evidence of fatigue striations in the Paris law regime.

Rate dependent behavior and modeling of concrete based on SHPB experiments

Abstract: The dynamic behavior of concrete is studied experimentally by testing annular and solid concrete specimens using split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). The dynamic increase factor (DIF) of annular samples is relatively lower than the DIF of solid samples. The dynamic behavior of concrete seems to be independent of the quasi-static strength of concrete. The mode of failure of concrete was a typical ductile failure at high strain-rates and brittle at low strain-rates. No significant influence of strain-rate on the initial elastic modulus of concrete was observed. An empirical equation is proposed for the estimation of DIF of concrete based on the experiments. A model is developed for the prediction of stress–strain curve of concrete under dynamic loading which shows good agreement with the experiments.

Evaluation Methodology of Brittleness of Rock Based on Post-Peak Stress–Strain Curves

Abstract: Brittleness is an important characteristic of rocks, for it has a strong influence on the failure process no matter from perspective of facilitating rock breakage or controlling rock failure when rocks are being loaded. Various brittleness criteria have been proposed to describe rock brittleness. In this paper, the existing brittle indices are summarised and then analysed in terms of their applicability to describe rock brittleness. The analysis demonstrates that the widely used strength ratio or product (σ c/σ t, σ c·σ t) of rocks cannot describe rock brittleness properly and that most of the indices neglect the impact of the rock’s stress state on its brittleness. A new evaluation method that includes the degree of brittleness (B d) and brittle failure intensity (B f) is proposed based on the magnitude and velocity of the post-peak stress drop, which can be easily obtained from the conventional uniaxial and triaxial compression tests. The two indices can accurately account for the influence of the confining pressure on brittleness, and the applicability of the new evaluation method is verified by different experiments. The relationship between B d and B f is also discussed.

The effect of organic and inorganic fibres on the mechanical and thermal properties of aluminate activated geopolymers

Abstract: The addition of fibres to a brittle matrix is a well-known method to improve the flexural strength. However, the success of the reinforcements is dependent on the interaction between the fibre and the matrix. This paper presents the mechanical and microstructural properties of PVA and basalt fibre reinforced geopolymers. Moreover low density and thermal resistant materials used as insulating panels are known be susceptible to damage due to their poor flexural strength. As such the thermal and fire resistance properties of foamed geopolymers containing fibre reinforcement were also investigated. The results highlight that the presence of PVA fibres greatly increased the flexural strength and the toughness of the geopolymer composite, while the presence of basalt fibres improved the flexural behaviour of the composite after high temperature exposure.

Brittle to ductile transition in densified silica glass.

Abstract: Current understanding of the brittleness of glass is limited by our poor understanding and control over the microscopic structure. In this study, we used a pressure quenching route to tune the structure of silica glass in a controllable manner, and observed a systematic increase in ductility in samples quenched under increasingly higher pressure. The brittle to ductile transition in densified silica glass can be attributed to the critical role of 5-fold Si coordination defects (bonded to 5 O neighbors) in facilitating shear deformation and in dissipating energy by converting back to the 4-fold coordination state during deformation. As an archetypal glass former and one of the most abundant minerals in the Earth's crest, a fundamental understanding of the microscopic structure underpinning the ductility of silica glass will not only pave the way toward rational design of strong glasses, but also advance our knowledge of the geological processes in the Earth's interior.

Mechanical properties and structural features of novel Fe-based bulk metallic glasses with unprecedented plasticity

Abstract: Fe-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have attracted great attention due to their unique magnetic and mechanical properties, but few applications have been materialized because of their brittleness at room temperature. Here we report a new Fe(50)Ni(30)P(13)C(7) BMG which exhibits unprecedented compressive plasticity (>20%) at room temperature without final fracture. The mechanism of unprecedented plasticity for this new Fe-based BMG was also investigated. It was discovered that the ductile Fe(50)Ni(30)P(13)C(7) BMG is composed of unique clusters mainly linked by less directional metal-metal bonds which are inclined to accommodate shear strain and absorbed energy in the front of crack tip. This conclusion was further verified by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy experiments of Fe(80-x)Ni(x)P(13)C(7) (x = 0, 10, 20, 30) and Fe(72-x)Ni(x)B(20)Si(4)Nb(4) (x = 0, 7.2, 14.4, 21.6, 28.8) glassy systems. The results also indicate a strong correlation between the p-d hybridization and plasticity, verifying that the transition from brittle to ductile induced by Ni addition is due to the change of bonding characteristics in atomic configurations. Thus, we can design the plasticity of Fe-based BMGs and open up a new possible pathway for manufacturing BMGs with high strength and plasticity.

Atomistic Origin of Brittle Failure of Boron Carbide from Large-Scale Reactive Dynamics Simulations: Suggestions toward Improved Ductility

Abstract: Ceramics are strong, but their low fracture toughness prevents extended engineering applications. In particular, boron carbide (B_4C), the third hardest material in nature, has not been incorporated into many commercial applications because it exhibits anomalous failure when subjected to hypervelocity impact. To determine the atomistic origin of this brittle failure, we performed large-scale (∼200 000 atoms/cell) reactive-molecular-dynamics simulations of shear deformations of B_4C, using the quantum-mechanics-derived reactive force field simulation. We examined the (0001)/⟨101¯0⟩ slip system related to deformation twinning and the (011¯1¯)/⟨1¯101⟩ slip system related to amorphous band formation. We find that brittle failure in B_4C arises from formation of higher density amorphous bands due to fracture of the icosahedra, a unique feature of these boron based materials. This leads to negative pressure and cavitation resulting in crack opening. Thus, to design ductile materials based on B_4C we propose alloying aimed at promoting shear relaxation through intericosahedral slip that avoids icosahedral fracture.