Analysis of 3D Random Al<SUB>18</SUB>B<SUB>4</SUB>O<SUB>33</SUB> Whisker Reinforced Mg Composite Using FEM and Random Sequential Adsorption

Abstract

In order to understand the deformation behavior of randomly orientated ceramic whisker reinforced composite materials, three dimensional (3D) finite element models were developed. The actual distributions of the whiskers in the composite materials were reconstructed for the representative volume element of the composite, using a random sequential adsorption algorithm. The samples were random Al 18 B 4 O 33 whisker reinforced magnesium matrix composites with a volume fraction of 15%. After modeling, the role of the random ceramic whisker in the deformation behavior of the magnesium matrix composite was investigated by the finite element method (FEM). The elastic modulus and stressstrain behaviors of the composite predicted by the microstructure-based model correlated well with the experimental results.