Microstructural Effect on Crack Propagation Behavior of Ceramic Tool Materials via Cohesive Zone Modeling

Abstract:

A systematic and parametric study of the effect of grain size and volume fraction of secondary phase on crack propagation behavior of Al₂O₃ based ceramic tool materials was carried out. Two-dimensional centroid V toughness oronoi tessellations were generated with random grain orientations. Cohesive Zone Method (CZM) was utilized to simulate crack propagation behavior. Zero-thickness cohesive elements were embedded on grain boundaries and inside grains. Crack initiation and propagation in ceramic tool materials microstructure were simulated without predefined crack. Simulation results revealed that crack initiated at the maximum stress position and propagated along the direction perpendicular to external load. Decreasing the grain size or increasing the volume fraction of secondary phase can improve the fracture stress of Al₂O₃ ceramic tool materials.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volumes 836-837)
• Pages: 462-467
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.836-837.462
• Online since: January 2016
• Authors: Zuo Li Li, Jun Zhao*, Fu Zeng Wang, An Hai Li, Xian Hua Tian
• Keywords: Ceramic Tool Materials, Cohesive Element, Crack Propagation, Microstructure Model, Simulation

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