| Based on the consideration of dislocation-based strengthening mechanisms in Metal Matrix Nanocomposites (MMNCs), an analytical model for predicting the yield strength has been proposed. The relative contribution of three strengthening effects in MMNCs, namely, load-bearing effect, enhanced dislocation density strengthening effect, and Orowan strengthening effect, was analyzed in detail. It was shown that Orowan strengthening plays a significant role in MMNCs. Furthermore, by considering dislocation activities and the interaction between dislocations and crack, the proposed model was extended to predict the fracture strength of Ceramic Matrix Nanocomposites (CMNCs). The theoretical predictions based on the proposed model were found to be in good agreement with the experimental data for both MMNCs and CMNCs reported in the literature. |
