Modeling of the mechanical behavior of fiber-reinforced ceramic composites using finite element method (FEM)

Modeling of the mechanical behavior of fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMC) is presented by the example of Al2O3 fibers in an alumina based matrix. The starting point of the modeling is a substructure (elementary cell) which includes on a micromechanical scale the statistical properties of the fiber, matrix and fiber-matrix interface and their interactions. The numerical evaluation of the model is accomplished by means of the finite element method. The numerical results of calculating the elastic modulus of the composite dependance on the quantity of the fibers added and porosity was compared to experimental values of specimens having the same composition.