Numerical simulation of the interface failure mechanism of SiC/Ti-6Al-4V composites under the transverse tensile stress

The cooling process of SiC/Ti-6Al-4V composites and the transverse tensile test were simulated by finite element method. The cruciform specimen was selected to conduct the transverse tensile test of SiC/Ti-6Al-4V composites. In finite element analysis, the plain stress finite element model was used to analyze the interface stress distribution and failure mechanism of the cruciform specimen under the transverse tensile stress. The axisymmetric finite element model was adopted to analyze the interface debonding process and the effects of residual stress on the radial stress distribution at the interface. The results show that under the transverse tensile stress, the interface failure of the cruciform specimen is only resulted from the radial stress. The interface failure mode is the normal failure not the tangential failure. The interface debonding of the cruciform specimen appears in the middle of the interface. With the increasing of the transverse tensile stress, the interface debonding of the cruciform specimen symmetrically extends to both sides. Radial stresses at the interface increase with the decreasing thermal residual stresses.