MODELING OF THE CONSOLIDATION OF CONTINUOUS-FIBER METAL-MATRIX COMPOSITES VIA FOIL-FIBER-FOIL TECHNIQUES

The consolidation of metal-matrix composites (MMC) via hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of foil-fiber-foil layups has been investigated using finite element method (FEM) metal flow analysis. For this purpose, the deformation pattern for various fiber arrangements was determined using representative unit cells to describe extremes in behavior. For a given fiber architecture, the consolidation time was found to be heavily dependent on the ratio of the HIP pressure to average flow stress and the friction conditions at the matrix-fiber interface. The specific influence of material properties such as the rate sensitivity of the flow stress appears to enter only as a second order effect. The FEM solutions were used to construct HIP diagrams delineating temperature-time-pressure combinations for full composite consolidation. Laboratory trials on subscale foil-fiber coupons were used to validate the FEM predictions.