Computer simulation of the indentation creep tests on particle-reinforced composites

A systematical simulation has been carried out on the indentation creep test of particle-reinforced composites. The deformation, failure mechanisms and life are analyzed by three reasonable models. The following five factors have been considered simultaneously: creep property of the particle, creep property of the matrix, the shape of the particle, the volume fraction of the particle and the size (relative size to the particle) of the indentation indenter. For all the cases, the power law respecting to the applied stress can be used to model the steady indentation creep depth rate of the indenter, and the detail expressions have been presented. The computer simulation precision is analyzed by the two-phase model and the three-phase model. Two places of the stress concentration are found in the composites. One is ahead of the indentation indenter, where the high stress state is deduced by the edge of the indenter and will decrease rapidly near to a steady value with the creep time. The other one is at the interface, where the high stress state is deduced by the misfit of material properties between particles and the matrix. It has been found that the creep dissipation energy density other than a stress parameter can be used to be the criterion to model the debonding of the interfaces. With the criterion of the critical creep dissipation energy density, a power law to the applied stress with negative exponent can be used to model the failure life deduced by the debonding of interfaces. The influences of the shape of the particles and the matching of creep properties of particle and matrix can be discussed for the failure. With a crack model, the further growth of interface crack is analyzed, and some important experimental phenomena can be predicted. The failure mechanism with which the particles will be punched into the matrix has been also discussed. The critical difference between the creep properties of the particles and those of the matrix has been calculated, after a parameter has been defined. The best matching of the creep properties of the two phases and the best shape of the particles are discussed for the composite design.