Experimental and numerical prediction of the weakened zone of a ceramic bonded to a metal

In this study, a three-dimensional Finite Element Model has been developed to estimate the size of the weakened zone in a bi-material a ceramic bonded to metal. The calculations results were compared to those obtained using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). In the case of elastic-plastic behaviour of the structure, it has been shown that the simulation results are coherent with the experimental findings. This indicates that Finite Element modeling allows an accurate prediction and estimation of the weakening effect of residual stresses on the bonding interface of Alumina. The obtained results show us that the three-dimensional numerical simulation used by the Finite Element Method, allows a good prediction of the weakened zone extent of a ceramic, which is bonded with a metal.