Damage and fracture mechanisms in cross-woven C/SiC composite subjected to tensile loading

Book · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:89765

Wang, M; Laird, C ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering

In order to investigate the structure sensitivity of composite behavior, tensile tests were conducted on CVI processed cross-woven C/SiC composites. Tensile damage mechanisms were observed using SEM on loaded and then unloaded samples. The damage modes identified include bundle matrix cracking, fiber/matrix debonding, fiber breaking delamination and bundle splitting. Because of the inhomogeneous SiC distribution in the fiber bundles, matrix cracking was observed to develop three dimensionally, including the following processes: lateral growth in matrix dominated regions such as bundle coatings, and crack arrest due to the decrease in matrix volume fraction, followed by formation of new matrix cracks inside the bundle, producing a damage zone characterized by a high density of small inter-fiber cracks. Final failure of the composite resulted from fiber breaks at different locations across the fiber bundles, producing in a rugged fracture surface.

• OSTI ID: 89765
• Report Number(s): CONF-9409291--; ISBN 1-56676-220-0
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CARBON FIBERS
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
CRACKS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FRACTURE PROPERTIES
MICROSTRUCTURE
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SILICON CARBIDES
TENSILE PROPERTIES
VOIDS
YIELD STRENGTH