This work utilizes the commercial finite element software ABAQUS to investigate the factors influencing the mechanical behavior of tantalum carbide (TaC)-based/graphite fibrous monolithic ceramics (FMCs), such as core/shell volume ratio and fiber orientation. The good compliance between experimental and simulated results demonstrates the suitability of the finite element software ABAQUS for exploring mechanical properties in FMCs. According to the results, it was observed that the bending strength of TaC-based/graphite FMC decreased with the change in fiber orientation from 0° to 90°. The displacement amount in the core/shell volume ratio of 75/25 ( C75S25) sample with a fiber orientation of 90° was maximum (with a value of 0.0524 mm), indicating that crack propagation occurred later. Therefore, the sample exhibited better resistance to failure. Generally, C75S25 specimens started to crack later than the core/shell volume ratio of 65/35 ( C65S35) in both fiber orientations and released more energy during crack initiation. Additionally, when the 0°-fiber-oriented specimen failed, more energy was released than the [90°] sample with the same core/shell volume ratio.

Finite element simulation of mechanical properties of TaC-based coregraphite shell fibrous monolithic ceramics
    Abstract
    1 Introduction
    2 Experimental and simulation conditions
        2.1 Experimental procedure
        2.2 Simulation conditions
            2.2.1 Bending strength
    3 Results and discussion
        3.1 Simulation analysis of bending strength
        3.2 Simulation analysis of displacement
        3.3 Simulation analysis of fracture energy
        3.4 Simulation analysis of stress and strain distributions
    4 Conclusions
    References

• Vahideh Mollaabbaszadeh(Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran)
• Mahdi Ghassemi Kakroudi(Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran)
• Vahideh Shahedifar(Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran) Corresponding author
• Nasser Pourmohammadie Vafa(Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran)