Combination of biological mechanisms for a concept study of a fracture-tolerant bio-inspired ceramic composite material

The biological materials nacre and wood are renowned for their impressive combination of toughness and strength. The key mechanisms of these highly complex structures are crack deflection at weak interfaces, crack bridging, functional gradients and reinforcing elements. These principles were applied to a more fracture-tolerant model material which combined porous stiff ceramic layers, manufactured by freeze casting, infiltrated and bonded by a polymer phase reinforced with fabric layers. In the hybrid composites, crack deflection occurred at the ceramic–fabric interface and the intact fabric layers served as crack-bridging elements. Fabric-reinforced epoxy layers stabilized the fracture behaviour and delayed catastrophic failure of the material. The influence of the different components was analysed by varying the ceramic, fabric and interface properties. More ductile fabrics lead to larger strain to failure and more crack bridging but reduced the composite strength and stiffness after initial cracking. Higher elastic mismatch between the components improved crack deflection and bridging but resulted in deterred load transfer and a lower strength. The stiffness and strength of the ceramic layers influenced the elastic properties of the laminar composite and the initial crack resistance. Flaw tolerance was increased with polymer infiltration. We show with our hybrid ceramic–fabric composite as a bio-inspired concept study how fracture toughness, work of fracture and tolerance for cracking can be tailored when the contributing factors, i.e. the ceramic, the fabric and their interface, are modified

Influence of fiber orientation and matrix processing on the tensile and creep performance of Nextel 610 reinforced polymer derived ceramic matrix composites

The tensile and creep performance of two Nextels 610(N610) reinforced polymer derived ceramic composites (UMOX™, OXIPOL) is studied up to 1200C. Independent of the fiber orientation(45 or 0/90deg) all samples exhibit a segment where the strain rate was constant. The creep performance in 45deg is matrix dominated and shows a more pronounced primary creep regime, due to changes within the matrix. The following creep regime with a constant strain rate might be attributed to viscous flow of the SiOC within the matrix based on activation energy(283kJ/mol) and stress exponent (0.6). In0/90 deg orientation the creep and tensile performance is independent of oxidation, but directly influenced by grain structure of the fiber. The coarser and non-uniform microstructure of the fibers in UMOX™ decreases the stationary creep rates and changes the diffusiona lcreep mechanism. The possibility to modify the microstructure of the fiber during the manufacturing process might be used to adjust e.g. the strength and creep stability of these materials related to the desired applications

Development and validation of oxide/oxide CMC combustors within the HiPOC program

In the framework of the High Performance Oxide Ceramics program (HiPOC), three different oxide/oxide ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials are studied for a combustion chamber application in continuation of the work reported in Gerendas et al. [1]. A variation in the micro-structural design of the three CMC materials in terms of different fiber architecture and matrix processing are considered in a first work stream. By modification of the matrix and the fiber-matrix interface as well as the application of an environmental barrier coating (EBC), the high temperature stability is enhanced. Furthermore, design concepts for the attachment of the CMC component to the metal structure of the engine are finalized in a second work stream. Issues like sealing of cooling leakage paths, allowance for the different thermal expansion and the mechanical fixation are addressed. An interim standard of the mechanical attachment scheme is studied on a shaker table. Also the friction coefficient between the metallic and ceramic components is analyzed in order to set the proper tightening torque. The manufacturing of the CMC combustor is improved in several iterations in order to achieve a high quality material with optimized fiber architecture. Afterwards, two CMC materials are selected for the combustion testing and the finalized design of the metallic and CMC components is manufactured. A fit check is performed prior to EBC application and laser drilling of the effusion holes in order to evaluate the impact of the manufacturing tolerances on the function of the sealing and attachment scheme and to correct small issues at this stage. First results from the validation testing in a high-pressure tubular combustion rig up to a Technology Readiness Level 4 (TRL4) are reported.</jats:p