Experimental study and micromechanical modelling of the effective elastic properties of Fe-TiB2 composites

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effective properties of Fe-TiB2 composites obtained after hot or cold rolling. The elastic moduli of both hot and cold rolled composites are measured experimentally using several methods. Microstructure analyses based on SEM observations are performed to characterize the distribution of particles and cracks, and are then used to generate 3D representative microstructures using the RSA method. This allows the numerical determination of the overall elastic behavior of Fe-TiB2 composites using full-field FFT-based simulations. In addition, Young's moduli of the hot rolled Fe-TiB2 composites are also determined analytically using the mean-field homogenization scheme of Mori-Tanaka. The elastic properties determined experimentally, analytically and numerically are in a good agreement. Overall, a significant improvement of the specific stiffness in comparison to standard steels is achieved irrespective of the processing conditions.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effective properties of Fe-TiB2 composites obtained after hot or cold rolling, measuring the elastic moduli experimentally and using various methods. Microstructure analyses based on SEM observations are conducted to characterize particle and cracks distribution, and 3D representative microstructures are generated using the RSA method. The overall elastic behavior of the composites is determined numerically through full-field FFT-based simulations, showing a significant improvement in specific stiffness compared to standard steels regardless of processing conditions.