Abstract
In this study, fracture mechanisms under monotonic and cyclic load and its stress distribution of an aluminum cast alloy locally reinforced by SiC particles and Al_2O_3 whiskers are investigated experimentally and numerically. The material is monotonically and cyclically deformed to failure at room temperature. The fracture origin and the fracture path are investigated on the fracture surfaces. The fracture occurs in the reinforced part under both monotonic and cyclic loads. The stress distributions around the boundary between the reinforced part and unreinforced part are calculated based on an inclusion array model considering the microscopic inhomogeneous effects. Both the experimental results and the finite element simulation results show that the critical location for fracture is changed by the external stress level.
