Toughness of fiber-reinforced titanium as a function of temperature: experimental results and micromechanical modeling

The fracture behavior of Ti–6Al–4V uniaxially reinforced with 35 vol% SiC Sigma 1140+ fibers was studied between 20 and 550 °C by three-point bend tests of notched beams. It was found that the fracture energy remained essentially constant in the whole temperature range while the initial toughness decreased linearly with temperature from 78 MPam at 20 °C to 44 MPam at 550 °C. Fracture occurred by the development of a thin fracture process zone …