Investigation of failure mechanism of SiC nanowhiskers reinforced magesium composites via In-situ mechanical test and X-Ray tomography

SiC has long been the most widely recognised reinforcement for magnesium matrix composites (MgMC), yet the failure mechanisms under mechanical loading for such composites are still not fully understood. No direct observations have yet been documented of the interaction between the nanoparticles with the crack initiation and propagation (in 3D/4D), simultaneously under mechanical testing. This study intends to investigate the failure behaviour of nano-SiC/MgMC through in-situ X-ray tomography during mechanical testing at ID16B, observing the effects of SiC nanowhiskers (diameter 650 nm, length 5μm) on crack initiation&growth under loading, utilizing 3D insights obtained from the measurements. XRF for 3D phase mapping will be also conducted. The results and the understanding of the failure mechanisms will also offer valuable insights into the development of nanoparticle/metal composites, both for experimental and for multiscale modelling for accelerating advanced metal composite design.