Profilometry-Based Indentation Plastometry for Evaluating Bulk Tensile Properties of Aluminum-Silicon Carbide Composites

The need for large samples with specific geometries and the destructive nature of conventional tensile testing pose a challenge in the rapid mechanical characterization of metal matrix composites (MMCs). Herein, the efficacy of a high-throughput profilometry-based indentation plastometry (PIP) technique for evaluating bulk tensile properties of SiC-reinforced aluminum MMC with minimum sample volume and preparation is investigated. Plastic properties, namely yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and elongation up to necking (epsilon(n)) in aluminum composites reinforced with 0, 17.5, and 25 vol% of SiC from PIP, are compared with uniaxial tensile tests. While PIP estimations of YS for all composites and UTS for Al-17.5 vol% SiC are accurate within 3-6%, those of UTS in 25 vol% and epsilon(n) in all composites show significant deviation from tensile test data. These deviations are attributed to the PIP overestimation of strength due to local SiC crowding beneath the indenter and the limitation of the Voce plasticity-based FEM simulation in capturing brittle behavior of high vol% reinforcement. Herein, the high-throughput PIP technique that can be reliably extended to MMCs with low volume (approximate to 17.5%) of SiC reinforcements is established, thus harboring potential for advancement in the nondestructive testing of MMCs.