Effect of strain gradients and heterogeneity on flow strength of particle reinforced metal-matrix composites

This paper deals with an analysis of the size effect on the flow strength of metal-matrix composites due to the presence of geometrically necessary dislocations. The work, is based upon a cell model of uniaxial deformation. The deformation field is analyzed based on a requirement of the deformation compatibility along the interface between the particle and the matrix, which in turn is completed through introducing an array of geometrically necessary dislocations. The results of modelling show that the overall stress-strain relationship is dependent not only on the particle volume fraction but also on the particle size. It has been found that the material length scale in the strain gradient plasticity is dependent on the particle volume fraction, or in other words, on the relative ratio of the particle spacing to the particle size. The strain gradient is, besides the macro-strain and the particle volume fraction, inversely proportional to the particle size.