A combined experimental and modeling study revealing the anisotropic mechanical response of Ti2AlN MAX phase. Issue 12 (September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Xiaoqiang; Malzbender, Jürgen; Yan, Gang; Gonzalez-Julian, Jesus; Schwaiger, Ruth
• Is Part Of: Journal of the European Ceramic Society. Volume 41:Issue 12(2021)
• Page Start: 5872
• Page End: 5881
• Publication Date: 2021-09
• Subjects: MAX phases -- Anisotropy -- Nano-indentation -- EBSD -- Mechanical properties; Ceramic materials -- Periodicals; Composite materials -- Periodicals; Matériaux céramiques -- Périodiques; Composites -- Périodiques; Ceramic materials; Composite materials; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 666.05
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2021.05.015
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0955-2219

Abstract

Highlights: The anisotropic mechanical properties of Ti2 AlN MAX phase was investigated for the first time via a combined experimental and modeling. Nanoindentation and electron-backscatter diffraction (EBSD) experiments were combined to correlate elastic modulus and hardness of Ti2 AlN to the crystallographic orientation. Two different modeling approaches were applied to predict and better understand these anisotropic mechanical properties of Ti2 AlN MAX phase materials. Modeling and experiments yielded consistent results with respect to the crystal orientation dependency of both elastic modulus and hardness. Abstract: Ti2 AlN MAX phase with a hexagonal crystal structure exhibits great potential as structural material for operation under harsh environments due to its excellent mechanical performance. For a reliable application, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanical behavior, and in particular of the anisotropic properties is needed. Thus, in this study, we combined nanoindentation and electron-backscatter diffraction experiments to correlate elastic modulus and hardness of Ti2 AlN to the crystallographic orientation. We used two different modeling approaches to better understand, validate, and in the long run to predict the anisotropic mechanical behavior of MAX phase materials. While we observed consistent trends in both experiments and modeling, elastic modulus and hardness showed different dependencies on the crystal orientation.