Experimental and numerical study on fracture behavior of SiC particle reinforced aluminum matrix composites based on Gurson–Tvergaard–Needleman damage model

Abstract In this paper, the mechanical behavior of 10 and 14 vol.% SiC p /Al composites was studied with both experiments and numerical analysis. A 3D macrostructure model based on modified Gurson–Tvergaard–Needleman (GTN) model was developed to predict the elasto‐plastic response and fracture behavior of particle reinforced aluminum matrix composites (PRAMCs). The particle size effects on the plastic strengthening induced by geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs) were introduced, and the size distribution of the SiC particles was obtained according to the statistical analysis of the microstructure. The material parameters for GTN model were determined with a parameter identification process, and the validity of the numerical results was validated by the agreement of the experimental stress–strain curve. Results reveal that particle size randomness plays an important role in the fracture morphologies.