Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Shock-loading response of 6061- T6 aluminum metal-matrix composites

  • Published:
Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to systematically study the influence of peak-shock pressure and second-phase reinforcement on the structure/property response of shock-loaded 6061-T6 Al-alumina composites. The reload stress-strain response of monolithic 6061-T6 Al, used as a baseline for comparison, showed no increased shock hardening compared to the unshocked material deformed to an equivalent strain. The reload stress-strain response of the shock-loaded 6061-T6 Al-alumina composites exhibited a lower reload yield strength than the flow stress of the starting composites. The degree of strength loss was found to increase with increasing shock pressure. Wavespeed measurements of shock-prestrained specimens showed no degradation compared to unshocked specimens, indicating that particle cracking had not occurred under shock. This result was supported by optical metallography, which did not reveal cracked particles or particle decohesion in the shock-prestrained samples. The reload stress-strain response of the shock-prestrained composites, after resolutionizing and T6 reaging, showed that the composites recovered their full as-received preshock stress-strain responses. This result supports the finding that degradation in reload strength was attributable to matrix microstructural changes resulting from the shock. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) examination of the shock-loaded microstructures revealed that the matrix regions adjacent to the particle/matrix interface had undergone significant recovery and partial recrystallization resulting from the shock. This type of near-interface substructure is in stark contrast to the heavily dislocated near-interface dislocation substructure of the as-received composites. The loss of dislocation density(i.e., strain hardening) in the near-interface matrix region, resulting from the shock, highlights the importance of the thermally introduced dislocation substructure changes in establishing the strength of metal-matrix composites (MMCs).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. M. Taya and R.J. Arsenault:Metal Matrix Composites, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1989, pp. 42–48.

    Google Scholar 

  2. I.A. Ibrahim, F.A. Mohamed, and E.J. Lavernia:J. Mater. Sci., 1991, vol. 26, pp. 1137–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. S.I. Hong and G.T. Gray III:Acta Metall. Mater., 1992, vol. 40, pp. 3299–3315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. S.I. Hong, G.T. Gray III, and J.J. Lewandowski:Acta Metall. Mater., 1993, vol. 41, 2337–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. D.A. Jones and J.W. Mitchell:Phil. Mag., 1958, vol. 3, pp. 1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. W. Funk and E. Blank:Metall. Trans., 1988, vol. 19A, pp. 987–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. M. Taya and T. Mori:Acta Metall., 1987, vol. 35, pp. 155–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. M. Vogelsang, R.J. Arsenault, and R.M. Fisher:Metall. Trans., A 1986, vol. 17A, 379–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. D.C. Dunand and A. Mortensen:Acta Metall. Mater., 1991, vol. 39, 127–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. G.T. Gray III: inHigh Pressure Shock Compression of Solids, J.R. Asay and M. Shahinpoor, eds., Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, 1993, pp. 187–215.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  11. G.T. Gray III:High-Pressure Science and Technology—1993, AIP Conf. Proc, Colorado Springs, Colorado, S.C. Schmidt, J.W. Shaner, G.A. Samara, and M. Ross, eds., American Institute of Physics, 1994, vol. 309, pp. 1161-64.

  12. L.M. Baker:J. Comp. Mater., 1971, vol. 5, pp. 140–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. M.A. Meyers, L.W. Meyer, K.S. Vecchio, and U. Andrade:J. de Physique, Colloque C3; suppl. toJ. de Physique III, 1991, Oct., pp. 11-17.

  14. G.T. Gray III:Shock Compression of Condensed Matter—1989, S.C. Schmidt, J.N. Johnson, and L.W. Davison, eds., North-Holland Publishing Co., Amsterdam, 1990, pp. 407–14.

    Google Scholar 

  15. G.T. Gray III and P.S. Follansbee:Shock Waves in Condensed Matter 1987. S.C. Schmidt and N.C. Holmes, eds., North-Holland Publishing Co., Amsterdam, 1988, pp. 339–42.

    Google Scholar 

  16. S.I. Hong, G.T. Gray III, and J.J. Lewandowski:Scripta Metall, 1992, vol. 27, pp. 431–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Science Group, Department of Applied Mechanics and Engineering Sciences, University of California-San Diego, 92093-0411, La Jolla, CA

    Kenneth S. Vecchio (Assistant Professor)

  2. Materials Research and Processing Science Department, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 87545, Los Alamos, NM

    George T. Gray (Team Leader and Staff Member)

Authors
  1. Kenneth S. Vecchio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. George T. Gray
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This article is based on a presentation made in the symposium “Dynamic Behavior of Materials,” presented at the 1994 Fall Meeting of TMS/ASM in Rosemont, Illinois, October 3-5, 1994, under the auspices of the TMS-SMD Mechanical Metallurgy Committee and the ASM-MSD Flow and Fracture Committee.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Vecchio, K.S., Gray, G.T. Shock-loading response of 6061- T6 aluminum metal-matrix composites. Metall Mater Trans A 26, 2545–2553 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02669412

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02669412

Keywords

Search

Navigation