Numerical simulation of strain rate effect on the inelastic behavior of metal matrix composites

The primary goal of this paper is to investigate the combined effects of strain rate and microscopic parameters (fiber off-axis orientation, array pattern and cross-sectional shape) on the mechanical behavior of metal matrix composites (MMCs). To this end, a rate-dependent micromechanical model by the combination of finite-volume theory and Bodner-Partom viscoplastic model is developed to analyze the inelastic response of MMCs. In the simulations, the fibers are modeled as linearly elastic while the metal matrix exhibits viscoplasticity. The macroscopic stress-strain response, local stress and strain fields are obtained simultaneously. An acceptable agreement has been found between the model's prediction and finite-element results, which demonstrates the good predictive capabilities of the proposed method. It is concluded that the composite response is strongly affected by strain rate, fiber array pattern and cross-sectional shape in the elastic-plastic region but to a lesser extent in the elastic region. Furthermore, the clustering array provides stiffer response than random and square ones; the square fiber predicts stiffer response than circular and elliptical ones. However, increasing the strain rate will weaken the influence of clustering array and square fibers.