Multi-scale Modeling and Finite Element Analyses of Thermal Conductivity of 3D C/SiC Composites Fabricating by Flexible-Oriented Woven Process

Thermal conductivity is one of the most significant criterion of three-dimensional carbon fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composites(3D C/SiC).Represent volume element(RVE)models of microscale,void/matrix and mesoscale proposed in this work are used to simulate the thermal conductivity behaviors of the 3D C/SiC composites.An entirely new process is introduced to weave the preform with three-dimensional orthogonal architecture.The 3D steady-state analysis step is created for assessing the thermal conductivity behaviors of the composites by applying periodic temperature boundary conditions.Three RVE models of cuboid,hexagonal and fiber random distribution are respectively developed to comparatively study the influence of fiber package pattern on the thermal conductivities at the microscale.Besides,the effect of void morphology on the thermal conductivity of the matrix is analyzed by the void/matrix models.The prediction results at the mesoscale correspond closely to the experimental values.The effect of the porosities and fiber volume fractions on the thermal conductivities is also taken into consideration.The multi-scale models mentioned in this paper can be used to predict the thermal conductivity behaviors of other composites with complex structures.

Fabrication of Y_2Si_2O_7 coating and its oxidation protection for C/SiC composites

Yttrium silicate （Y2Si2O7） coating was fabricated on C/SiC composites through dip-coating with silicone resin ＋ Y2O3 powder slurry as raw materials. The synthesis, microstructure and oxidation resistance and the anti-oxidation mechanism of Y2Si2O7 coating were investigated. Y2Si2O7 can be synthesized by the pyrolysis of Y2O3 powder filled silicone resin at mass ratio of 54.2：45.8 and 800 °C in air and then heat treated at 1400 °C under Ar. The as-fabricated coating shows high density and favorable bonding to C/SiC composites. After oxidation in air at 1400, 1500 and 1600 °C for 30 min, the coating-containing composites possess 130%-140% of original flexural strength. The desirable thermal stability and the further densification of coating during oxidation are responsible for the excellent oxidation resistance. In addition, the formation of eutectic Y-Si-Al-O glassy phase between Y2Si2O7 and Al2O3 sample bracket at 1500 °C is discovered.

Oxidation behavior of CVI,MSI and CVI+MSI C/SiC composites

The oxidation behavior of chemical vapor infiltration(CVI),molten silicon infiltration(MSI)and CVI+MSI C/SiC composites at 500-1 400℃was studied.The oxidation below 900℃increased successively for CVI,CVI+MSI and MSI composites.However,the oxidation of CVI composite above 1 000 ℃was much faster thanthat of MSI and CVI+MSI composites. As active carbon atoms produced by siliconization of fibers during MSI process were oxidized first and decreased initial oxidation temperature.The initial oxidation temperature of MSI,MSI+CVI and CVI composites was 526,552 and 710℃,respectively.New active carbon atoms were generated due to the breaking of 2D molecular chains during oxidation,so the activation energy of three C/SiC composites was decreased gradually at 500-800℃with oxidation process,exhibiting a self-catalytic characteristic.

Monotonic tensile behavior analysis of three-dimensional needle-punched woven C/SiC composites by acoustic emission

High toughness and reliable three-dimensional needled C/SiC composites were fabricated by chemical vapor infiltration （CVI）. An approach to analyze the tensile behaviors at room temperature and the damage accumulation of the composites by means of acoustic emission was researched. Also the fracture morphology was examined by S-4700 SEM after tensile tests to prove the damage mechanism. The results indicate that the cumulative energy of acoustic emission （AE） signals can be used to monitor and evaluate the damage evolution in ceramic-matrix composites. The initiation of room-temperature tensile damage in C/SiC composites occurred with the growth of micro-cracks in the matrix at the stress level about 40% of the ultimate fracture stress. The level 70% of the fracture stress could be defined as the critical damage strength.

Preparation and Anti-oxidation Mechanism of Mullite/Yttrium Silicate Coatings on C/SiC Composites

In order to enhance the oxidation resistance of C/Si C composites, mullite/yttrium silicate coatings were fabricated on C/Si C composites through dip-coating route. Al_2O_3-SiO_2 sol with high solid content was selected as the raw material for mullite and ＂silicone resin ＋ Y_2O_3 powder＂ slurry was used to synthesize yttrium silicate. The microstructure and phase composition of coatings were characterized, and the investigation on oxidation resistance and anti-oxidation mechanism was emphasized. The as-fabricated coatings consisting of SiO_2-rich mullite phase and Y_2Si_2O_7 phase show high density and favorable bonding to C/Si C composites. After oxidized at 1 400 ℃ and 1 500 ℃ for 30 min in static air, the coating-containing C/Si C composites possess 91.9% and 102.4% of the original flexural strength, respectively. The desirable thermal stability of coatings and the further densification of coatings due to viscous flow of rich SiO_2 and Y-Si-Al-O glass are responsible for the excellent oxidation resistance. In addition, the coating-containing composites retain 99.0% of the original flexural strength and the coatings exhibit no cracking and desquamation after 12 times of thermal shock from 1 400 ℃ to room temperature, which are ascribed to the combination of anti-oxidation mechanism and preferable physical and chemical compatibility among C/Si C composites, mullite and Y_2Si_2O_7. The carbothermal reaction at 1 600 ℃ between free carbon in C/Si C substrate and rich SiO_2 in mullite results in severe frothing and desquamation of coatings and obvious degradation in oxidation resistance.

Processing and properties of 2D SiC/SiC composites by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis

Two-dimensional plain-weave silicon carbide fiber fabric reinforced silicon carbide(2D-SiC/SiC)composites were molded by stacking method and densified through precursor infiltration and pyrolysis(PIP)process.SiC coating was deposited as the fiber/matrix interphase layer by chemical vapor deposition(CVD)technique.Fiber/matrix debonding and relatively long fiber pullouts were observed on the fracture surfaces.Additionally,the flexural strength and elastic modulus of the composites with and without fiber/matrix interphase layer were investigated using three-point bending test and single-edge notched beam test.The results show that the fiber fraction and the porosity of 2D-SiC/SiC composites with and without coating are 27.2%(volume fraction)and 11.1%,and 40.7%(volume fraction)and 7.5%,respectively.And the flexural strength and elastic modulus of 2D-SiC/SiC composites with and without coating are 363.3 MPa and 127.8 GPa,and 180.2 MPa and 97.2 GPa,respectively.With a proper thickness,the coating can effectively adjust the fiber/matrix interface,thus causing a dramatic increase in the mechanical properties of the composites.

Microstructure Characterization of 3D C/SiC Composites in Combustion Gas Environments

C/SiC composites prepared by chemical vapor infiltration（CVI） were subjected to a stationary loading of 160 MPa in a combustion gas environment with flame temperature of 1300 ℃.Lifetime of C/SiC composites in such environment was measured.Microstructures of the composites after the testing were also characterized by SEM.The experimental results indicate the lifetime of C/SiC composites is average 2.3 hours in combustion gas environments.The combustion gas flow accelerates the damage of carbon fibers and the failure of the composites by speeding up the diffusion of gas reactants and products,destroying the layer of SiO2 on the surface of SiC coating and bringing fused SiO2 inside the composites.The fracture face of C/SiC is uneven,i e,a flat area close to the windward side and a pulling-out of long fibers near the leeward side,which results from the directionality effect of the combustion gas flow.

Failure criteria for C/SiC composites under plane stress state

The applicability and limitation of several quadratic strength theories were investigated with respect to 2D-C/SiC and 2.5D-C/SiC composites. A kind of damage-based failure criterion, referred to as D-criterion, is proposed for non- linear ceramic composites. Meanwhile, the newly developed criterion is prelim- inarily validated under tension-shear combined loadings. The prediction shows that the failure envelope given by D-criterion is lower than that from Tsai-Hill and Hoffman criteria. This reveals that the damage-based criterion is reasonable for evaluation of damage-dominated failure strength.

Environmental Simulation Experiments of 3D-C/SiC Composites with Different PyC Interfacial Layers

A series of 3D-C/SiC composites with different pyrolytic carbon (PyC) interracial layers (about 20～300 nm thick)were prepared by chemical vapor infiltration. Simulation experiments at different temperatures were performed byexposing C/SiC specimens in single and coupling gases partial pressure atmospheres, namely, O2, H2O vapor andmolten salt (Na+) vapor. It suggested that at intermediate temperature range (about 600～800℃) a dramatic effectof PyC thickness on the weight and strength change of C/SiC was shown, which was mainly influenced by O2 partialpressure; at high temperature range (about 1200～1300℃) the effect was not obvious relatively, which might beinfluenced by H2O vapor partial pressure; and finally at very high temperature range (＞1500℃) the molten saltvapor was the factor of most possibility affecting the weight change of C/SiC.

COMPARISON OF FATIGUE AND CREEP BEHAVIOR BETWEEN 2D AND 3D-C/SiC COMPOSITES

The differences of tension-tension fatigue and tensile creep characters of 2D-C/SiC and 3D-C/SiC composites have been scrutinized to meet the engineering needs. Experiments of tension-tension fatigue and tensile creep are carried out under vacuum high temperature condition. All of the high temperature fatigue curves are flat; the fatigue curves of the 2D-C/SiC are flatter and even parallel to the horizontal axis. While the tension-tension fatigue limit of the 3D-C/SiC is higher than that of the 2D-C/SiC, the fiber pullout length of the fatigue fracture surface of the 3D-C/SiC is longer than that of the 2D-C/SiC, and fracture morphology of the 3D-C/SiC is rougher, and pullout length of the fiber tows is longer. At the same time the 3D-C/SiC has higher tensile creep resistance. The tensile curve and the tensile creep curve of both materials consist of a series of flat step. These phenomena can be explained by the non-continuity of the damage.

Environmental Effects on Microstructural Stability of SiC/SiC Composites

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Effects of Pressure during Preform Densification on SiC/SiC Composites

The nano-infiltration and transient eutectic-phase (NITE) method is one of the most attractive methods for fabrication of SiC and SiC/SiC composites. In the NITE method, preform densification is essential option for damage less near-net shaping technique. However, optimization of preform densification is insufficient yet. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of pressure during preform densification on SiC/SiC composites. The preform before preform densification has many pores in the inter-prepreg sheets. These pores were disappeared by preform densification. As the effects of pressure on preform, densification in the intra-fiber-bundle was improved due to increasing pressure. Flexural strength of the preforms with 1 MPa and 17 MPa indicated almost same value. The result suggested that increasing of pressure did not cause any change in fiber properties. In the effects of pressure on the composites, the composites with 17 MPa was exhibited improvement in bulk density and mechanical property, compared with that with 1 MPa.

Comparative modeling of gas transport in isothermal chemical vapor infiltration process of C/SiC composites

Two comparative models taking into account of momentum, energy and mass transport coupled with chemical reaction kinetics were proposed to simulate gas transport in isothermal CVI reactor for fabrication of C/SiC composites. Convection in preform was neglected in one model where momentum transport in preform is neglected and mass transport in preform is dominated by diffusion. Whereas convection in preform was taken into account in the other model where momentum transport in preform is represented by BRINKMAN equations and mass transport in preform includes both diffusion and convection. The integrated models were solved by finite element method. The calculation results show that convection in preform have negligible effect on both velocity distribution and concentration distribution. The difference between MTS molarities in preform of the two models is less than 5×10-5, which indicates that ignorance of convection in preform is reasonable and acceptable for numerical simulation of ICVI process of C/SiC composites.

FRACTURE RESISTANCE OF 3D-C/SiC COMPOSITES AT 1300℃

Based on the energy conservation, the elastic energy linked to the compliance change, non-elastic energy dissipated by irreversible deformation and the resistance for crack propagation were quantitatively characterized by evaluation the load/load point displacement curves tested by three points bend experiment with single notch beam at 1300℃. The cracks length was determined by compliance calibration curves. It is shown by experimental results that the compliance of 3D-C/SiC composites changes with the cracks can be described by third order polynomial. The variation of crack advancing resistance with non-dimensional equivalent crack length presents a convex curve. The crack advancing resistance increases firstly and then decreases with the non-dimensional equivalent crack length, finally is in comparatively low level. The maximum values of crack advancing resistance are 269.73kJ/m2 for non-dimensional equivalent crack length of 0.318 and original notch length of 0.35mm, and 138.65kJ/m2 for non-dimensional equivalent crack length of 0.381 and original notch length of 2.06mm, respectively.

Ablation behaviour and mechanical performance of ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC modified carbon/carbon composites prepared by vacuum infiltration combined with reactive melt infiltration

The development of advanced aircraft relies on high performance thermal-structural materials,and carbon/carbon com-posites(C/C)composited with ultrahigh-temperature ceramics are ideal candidates.However,the traditional routes of compositing are either inefficient and expensive or lead to a non-uniform distribution of ceramics in the matrix.Compared with the traditional C/C-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by the reactive melt infiltration of ZrSi_(2),C/C-ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by the vacuum infiltration of ZrB_(2) combined with reactive melt infiltration have the higher content and more uniform distribution of the introduced ceramic phases.The mass and linear ablation rates of the C/C-ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC composites were respectively 68.9%and 29.7%lower than those of C/C-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by reactive melt infiltration.The ablation performance was improved because the volatilization of B_(2)O_(3),removes some of the heat,and the more uniformly distributed ZrO_(2),that helps produce a ZrO2-SiO2 continu-ous protective layer,hinders oxygen infiltration and decreases ablation.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Multiscale SiC_p Hybrid Reinforced 6061 Aluminum Matrix Composites

The performance of solid solution aging treatment on aluminum matrix composites prepared by powder metallurgy and reinforced with 6061 aluminum alloy powder as matrix;meanwhile, nano silicon carbide particles(nm Si Cp), submicron silicon carbide particles(1 μm Si Cp) and Ti particles were studied. The Al/Si Cp composite powder was prepared by high-energy ball milling, and then cold-pressed, sintered, hotextruded, and then heat-treated with different solution temperatures and aging times for the extruded composites. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), X-ray diffractometer(XRD) and extrusion testing were used to analyze and test the microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminum matrix composites. The results show that after the multi-stage solid solution at 530 ℃×2 h+535 ℃×2 h+540 ℃×2 h, the particles are mainly equiaxed grains and uniformly distributed. There is no reinforcement agglomeration, and the surface is dense and the insoluble phase is basically dissolved. In the matrix, the strengthening effect is good, and the hardness and compressive strength are 179.43 HV and 680.42 MPa, respectively. Under this solution process, when the aluminum matrix composites are aged at 170 ℃ for 10 h, the hardness and compressive strength can reach their peaks and increase to 195.82 HV and 721.48 MPa, respectively.

Tensile Mechanical Behavior and Failure Mechanism of a Plain-Woven SiCf/SiC Composites at Room and Elevated Temperatures

Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) are the preferred materials for solving advanced aerospace high-temperature structural components;it has the comprehensive advantages of higher temperature (~1500˚C) and low density. In service environments, CMCs exhibit complex damage mechanisms and failure modes, which are affected by constituent materials, meso-architecture and inhere defects. In this paper, the in-plane tensile mechanical behavior of a plain-woven SiCf/SiC composite at room and elevated temperatures was investigated, and the factors affecting the tensile strength of the material were discussed in depth. The results show that the tensile modulus and strength of SiCf/SiC composites at high temperature are lower, but the fracture strain increases and the toughness of the composites is enhanced;the stitching holes significantly weaken the tensile strength of the material, resulting in the material is easy to break at the cross-section with stitching holes.

Ablation Processes for HfC-Coated 2.5D Needle-Punched Composites Used for Aerospace Engines Under Hypersonic Flight Conditions

The working environment of aerospace engines is extremely harsh with temperature exceeding 1700℃and accompanied by thermal coupling effects.In this condition,the materials employed in hypersonic aircraft undergo ablation issues,which can cause catastrophic accidents.Due to the excellent high-temperature stability and ablation resistance,HfC exhibits outstanding thermal expansion coefficient matching that of C/SiC composites.2.5D needle-punched C/SiC composites coated with HfC are prepared using a plasma spraying process,and a high-enthalpy arc-heated wind tunnel is employed to simulate the re-entry environment of aircraft at 8 Mach and an altitude of 32 km.The plasma-sprayed HfC-coated 2.5D needle-punched C/SiC composites are subjected to long-term dynamic testing,and their properties are investigated.Specifically,after the thermal assessment ablation experiment,the composite retains its overall structure and profile;the total mass ablation rate is 0.07445 g/s,the average linear ablation rate in the thickness direction is-0.0675μm/s,and the average linear ablation rate in the length direction is 13.907μm/s.Results verify that plasma-sprayed HfC coating exhibits excellent anti-oxidation and ablation resistance properties.Besides,the microstructure and ablation mechanism of the C/SiC composites are studied.It is believed that this work will offer guideline for the development of thermal protection materials and the assessment of structural thermal performance.

C/SiC/MoSi_2-SiC-Si multilayer coating for oxidation protection of carbon/carbon composites

C/SiC/MoSi2-SiC-Si oxidation protective multilayer coating for carbon/carbon （C/C） composites was prepared by pack cementation and slurry method. The microstructure, element distribution and phase composition of the as-received coating were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The results show that the multilayer coating was composed of MoSi2, SiC and Si. It could effectively protect C/C composites against oxidation for 200 h with the mass loss of 3.25% at 1873 K in static air. The mass loss of the coated C/C composites results from the volatilization of SiO2 and the formation of cracks and bubble holes in the coating.