 | 2008 |
Abstract:
Metal matrix composite extrusions such as spring steel reinforced aluminium alloys are promising materials for lightweight structures for instance in automotive applications being subject to service conditions like cyclic loads. To understand the damage evaluation of the compounds under fatigue conditions knowledge about debonding between the aluminium matrix and the reinforcing wire, crack initiation and crack growth in the matrix as well as in the wire is inevitable. In order to investigate in-situ the failure behaviour during mechanical loading acoustic emission analysis is used during fatigue testing. The present work gives an approach how to use acoustic emission methods to estimate and inhibit background noises during cyclic loading. It could be registered acoustically that the used material fails first by a fracture of the matrix followed by a cyclic bumping of the crack surfaces and a final fracture of the reinforcing wire.