Geometry effects of substrate and coating layers on the thermal stress response of FGM structure

Summary Due to transient temperature change, the plane strain elastic-plastic problem for a functionally graded material (FGM) bonded to a homogeneous coating layer and a metal substrate is considered by the use of the finite element method (FEM). The substrate and the coating are assumed to be aluminum and partially stabilized zirconia, respectively. The FGM layer is a particulate composite of aluminum and partially stabilized zirconia with volume fractions continuously varying through the thickness. Generally in high temperature applications, the FGM system is sandwiched between a substrate layer and a coating layer. The coating layer increases the protection from heat but decreases the thermal shock resistance while the substrate layer increases the rigidity of the structure and decreases strength-related properties at high temperature. In order to compromise the thickness of both the coating and substrate layers, different values of the substrate and coating thickness are studied in order to evaluate their effects on the thermal stress response of the FGM structure. Since the main objective of the FGMs is using them in different applications with severe thermal loading conditions, the thermal stresses may be so high that some reinforcements may be fractured and/or debonded from the matrix giving a weakening effect instead of a reinforcing one. Hence, the behaviors of the reinforcements and the matrix are essential to be studied. In this regard, microscopic constitutive equations along with the temperature-dependent properties of the constituent materials are considered to enable us obtaining more realistic results of thermal stresses. Since the FGM structures are fabricated at high temperatures, thermal residual stresses are produced. In order to find out the importance of the consideration of the residual stresses arising from the fabrication process, the FGM structure with stress-free conditions is heated to the operating temperature, and its thermal stress response is compared with that one where the residual stresses are taken into account. Also, several functional forms of gradation of the constituents in the FGM layer are examined to reach the optimum profile giving the minimum stress level for the FGM structure under thermo-elasto-plastic behavior.