Experimental and numerical study of the room temperature elastic modulus of model materials with partly bonded matrix/particles interfaces

This work is devoted to the use of model materials with simplified microstructures in order to characterise the elastic behaviour of real refractory material. ase model materials with vitreous matrix and spherical dense alumina inclusions were manufactured. The thermal expansion mismatch between the two selected constituent phases (Δα ≠ 0) induces interfacial matrix/inclusions decohesions. Because analytical models are not suited to describe such materials we have develop a numerical approach of the problem using the finite element method (ABAQUS package). cation and orientation of the decohesive zone are studied to show the dependence of the room temperature Young’s modulus on the state of the matrix/inclusions interface. irst approach, virtual models containing a single inclusion were studied by numerical simulation. Then, to be more close to the samples tested in experiments, virtual multi-inclusions models were considered. The geometric modelling of these models required the use of original software, developed in C++ language in the laboratory, which allows the automatic geometry generation.