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dissertation global and local fracture properties of metal matrix ...

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Section 6<br />

6. Comparison <strong>of</strong> the <strong>local</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>global</strong> <strong>fracture</strong> <strong>properties</strong><br />

In theoretical models to predict the <strong>fracture</strong> toughness in MMCs, the <strong>fracture</strong> toughness was<br />

estimated as a function <strong>of</strong> <strong>global</strong> material <strong>properties</strong>, such as average particle size, particle<br />

volume fraction, etc. (Eqs 2.1, 2.2) [2, 17, 54]. However, the results <strong>of</strong> our investigation<br />

clearly show that the <strong>local</strong> <strong>fracture</strong> <strong>properties</strong> significantly vary along the crack front. It can<br />

be assumed that the <strong>local</strong> <strong>fracture</strong> <strong>properties</strong> determine in some unknown way the <strong>global</strong><br />

<strong>fracture</strong> <strong>properties</strong>. Therefore, it is interesting to compare the individual <strong>local</strong> values <strong>of</strong> the<br />

<strong>fracture</strong> initiation toughness along the crack front to the <strong>global</strong> <strong>fracture</strong> initiation toughness<br />

measured in the <strong>fracture</strong> mechanics experiments. In Figure 6.1, experimentally determined Ji-<br />

values (taken from Tables 4.2, 4.3) are compared to the Ji-values calculated from the average<br />

value <strong>of</strong> the CODi (including near-zero values) (Table 4.5) through the Eq. 3.2. In spite <strong>of</strong> the<br />

high scatter <strong>of</strong> the values <strong>of</strong> the <strong>local</strong> <strong>fracture</strong> toughness observed in our investigated<br />

materials, their average values correlate well with experimentally determined values <strong>of</strong> the<br />

<strong>global</strong> <strong>fracture</strong> toughness. A very good correlation is found for the cast MMCs with 10% <strong>and</strong><br />

20% Al2O3 particles in all aging conditions (Fig. 6.1c) <strong>and</strong> for the mild steel St37 (Fig. 6.2b).<br />

For the cast MMCs with 15%, a good correlation is observed for the specimen aged at room<br />

temperature; at other aging conditions the correlation becomes worse but still remains in the<br />

range <strong>of</strong> the st<strong>and</strong>ard deviation (Fig. 6.1a,b).<br />

For the PM MMC, Ji-values which are determined by the <strong>fracture</strong> mechanics experiment are<br />

close to the bottom boundary <strong>of</strong> the st<strong>and</strong>ard deviation <strong>of</strong> the Ji-values calculated from the<br />

average value <strong>of</strong> the CODi (Fig. 6.2a). This can be explained when it is assumed that the<br />

<strong>fracture</strong> <strong>of</strong> one particle might trigger the <strong>fracture</strong> <strong>of</strong> the neighboring particles within a certain<br />

region so that the area <strong>of</strong> <strong>local</strong> crack extension is larger than the resolution <strong>of</strong> the potential<br />

drop technique. The larger particle size (100 µm, compared to 10 µm for the cast MMC)<br />

facilitates this effect.<br />

So on, for the cast MMCs <strong>and</strong> the steel St37, it can be proposed that the <strong>global</strong> <strong>fracture</strong><br />

toughness <strong>of</strong> any material can be estimated as<br />

J<br />

n<br />

∑<br />

<strong>global</strong><br />

i = 1<br />

75<br />

J<br />

n<br />

<strong>local</strong><br />

i<br />

, (6.1)

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