Elasto-plastic analysis of an aluminum alloy matrix reinforced with silicon carbide fibers

The micromechanical analysis of a composite with a matrix of an aluminum alloy (Al 6061 T6) reinforced with fibers of silicon carbide was performed using the nonlinear finite element program CALSAP. The fibers were packed in a square array and the fiber volume fraction (V/O) was 36 percent. The matrix was assumed to have elastoplastic material behavior, and the applied load was uniaxial tensile and transverse to the longitudinal axis of the fiber. The computation of the stress-strain distribution, the initiation of plastic yielding, the propagation of plastic zones and prediction of crack initiation within the matrix were performed. The results of the elastoplastic analysis were compared with those obtained using the finite element program MARC, and they are in close agreement.