Thermal shock fracture in cross-ply fibre-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites

Christos Kastritseas (1) , Paul Smith (2) , Julie Yeomans (2)

1 Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
2 Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

The onset of matrix cracking due to thermal shock in a range of simple and multi-layer cross-ply laminates comprising a calcium aluminosilicate (CAS) matrix reinforced with Nicalon fibres is investigated analytically in this study. A comprehensive stress analysis under conditions of thermal shock, ignoring transient effects, is performed and fracture criteria based on either a recently-derived model for the thermal shock resistance of unidirectional Nicalon®/glass ceramic-matrix composites or fracture mechanics considerations are formulated. The effect of material thickness on the apparent thermal shock resistance is also modelled. Comparison with experimental results reveals that the accuracy of the predictions is satisfactory and the reasons for some discrepancies are discussed. In addition, a theoretical argument based on thermal shock theory is formulated to explain the observed cracking patterns.

Mots clés: Physical Sciences

Christos Kastritseas, Paul Smith, Julie Yeomans. Thermal shock fracture in cross-ply fibre-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites. Philosophical Magazine, 2010, 90 (31), pp.4209. ⟨10.1080/14786431003785621⟩. ⟨hal-00606279⟩