Al-Al2O3 composites with interpenetrating network structures: Composite modulus estimation

The effective Youngs´s modul of co-continuous Al-Al203 comosites over the 5-97 vol % Al203 composition range were experimentally measured and compared with theoretical composite modulus values predicted using the methods of Ravichandran, Tuchinskii, Hashin-Shtrikman, and the effective medium approximation (EMA). The influence of phase morphology an the modulus ratio (E1/E2) of the constituent phases on the resulting experimental and calculated Young´s modulus is discussed. For two-phased co-continuous composites with a modulus ratio greater than 5, the EMA, with an appropriate microstructural shape factor, was the most consistent method for approximating the composite Young´s modulus over the entire composition range.