Modeling Deformation in Two-Phase Alloys

There are a number of two-phase alloys which are technologically important. These include α-β titanium alloys and two-phase steels. Modeling of deformation of such alloys, however, is a difficult task for the simple reason that a number of factors have to be considered simultaneously. Whenever a metal consisting of more than one-phase with different stress-strain behavior is subjected to stress, neither the stresses nor the strains are constant. The softer phase deforms more than the harder phase. The actual stress and strain distributions depend on the morphology of phases. Therefore, the simple law of mixtures rule is inadequate to study stress/strain behavior in these two phase materials. The Finite Element Method (FEM), which has been successfully used for stress analysis, appears to be a viable tool for studying stress-strain behavior of two-phase materials. Some of the predictions of FEM were corroborated by experiment. With some improvements in computer programs dealing with FEM, this method can be applied for various problems of stress-strain and fracture behavior in two-phase materials.