Microstructure-level modeling and simulation of the flexural behavior of ceramic tool materials

The flexural behavior of ceramic tool materials is investigated by both experiments and numerical simulation. The Voronoi Tessellation hybrid random algorithms are utilized to construct a microstructure model to simulate the flexural behavior of ceramic. The secondary phase volume fraction, the nano-scale particle volume fraction, the grain centroid distribution, and the grain diameter distribution of the materials are considered in the model. The flexural strength of ceramic materials is calculated via the simulation of three-point bending tests. The effects of average grain diameter, nano-scale particle and secondary phase volume fraction on the flexural strength of ceramic materials are systematically studied. The numerical simulation results show good agreement with the experimental results.