The quasi-static and cyclic fatigue fracture behavior of 2014 aluminum alloy metal-matrix composites

In this article, the quasi-static and cyclic fatigue fracture behavior of aluminum alloy 2014 discontinuously reinforced with fine particulates of aluminum oxide are presented and discussed. The discontinuous particulate-reinforced 2014 aluminum alloy was cyclically deformed under fully reversed, tension-compression loading over a range of strain amplitudes, well within the plastic domain of the engineering stress-strain curve, resulting in cyclic fatigue lives of less than 104 cycles. The influence of both ambient and elevated temperatures on cyclic stress and cyclic stress-strain response is highlighted. The underlying mechanisms governing the fracture mode during quasi-static and cyclic fatigue are discussed and rationalized in light of the concurrent and mutually interactive influences of intrinsic composite microstructural features, deformation characteristics of the metal matrix and reinforcement particulate, cyclic strain amplitude and resultant fatigue life, and test temperature.