Journal article
Effects of Grain Orientation and Confinement on Dynamic Compressive Behavior of Highly Oriented MAX Phase Ta2AlC
Mechanics of materials, v 207, 105378
Aug 2025
Featured in Collection : Drexel's Newest Publications
Abstract
MAX phases are unique ternary carbides and nitrides that bridge the gap between metals and ceramics. Specifically, Ta2AlC, the MAX phase with the highest bulk modulus, offers a unique combination of metallic and ceramic properties, making it particularly well-suited for extreme applications. Fully dense, coarse-grained, and textured Ta2AlC was fabricated in bulk, achieving a global grain orientation along the c-axis with an orientation factor of 0.63. The uniaxial quasi-static and dynamic, and biaxial dynamic response was evaluated parallel () and perpendicular (⊥) to the c-axis. The average dynamic strength in ⊥ c-axis orientation was 824±39 MPa, 19% higher than the uniaxial quasi-static compressive strength of 690±55 MPa in the same orientation. The biaxial dynamic strength in this orientation, when applying a moderate 80 MPa planar confinement along basal planes ( c-axis) had the highest average compressive strength of 1097±72 MPa. Scanning electron microscopy fractography indicates a consistent fracture mechanism within the grain orientation across different strain rates under uniaxial loading. During biaxial loading, crack propagation was delayed, with qualitative indications of shear band formation. Concurrently, both the quantity and mode of kink band formation appeared to increase, leading to an overall enhancement in final strength. The link between macroscopic failure behavior captured from ultra-high-speed imaging and microscopic fractography is discussed.
•Uniaxial compressive strength of textured Ta2AlC MAX phase exhibited higher strength under high strain rate across grain orientations.•Dynamic compressive strength increased by 33% under biaxial loading conditions when grain orientation is edge-on with planar confinement.•Confinement delayed crack propagation beyond analytical shutdown pressure and enhanced inelastic deformation under high strain rate.•Findings enhanced understanding of critical mechanisms for layered material design.
Metrics
2 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Effects of Grain Orientation and Confinement on Dynamic Compressive Behavior of Highly Oriented MAX Phase Ta2AlC
- Creators
- Xingyuan Zhao - Colorado School of MinesTarek A. ElMelegy - Drexel UniversityMaxim Sokol - Drexel UniversityMichel W. Barsoum - Drexel UniversityLeslie Lamberson - Colorado School of Mines
- Publication Details
- Mechanics of materials, v 207, 105378
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- CMMI division of the National Science Foundation under CAREER: 1939838
This research is supported by the CMMI division of the National Science Foundation under CAREER Grant No. 1939838.
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001498582800001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105005256712
- Other Identifier
- 991022052319604721
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
- Mechanics