National Hypersonic Science Center for Materials and Structures
Abstract
Research performed under the National Hypersonic Science Center for Materials and Structures (NHSC-MS) aimed to advance the basic science needed to guide design of new high-temperature oxidation-resistant ceramic materials and to develop characterization and analysis tools that enable life prediction for fiber-reinforced composites with geometrically complex microstructures. Highlights of the research are as follows: * The roles of transition element dopants in affecting oxidation resistance of ZrB2 ultra-high temperature ceramics, through the effects of the dopants on sintering and/or stability of the oxidation products (ZrO2, B-O glasses, and B-Si-O glasses), were elucidated through experiments and atomistic calculations. * Structure, oxidation behavior, and stability of HfSiCNO ceramics were determined by experiment and atomistic calculations. The potential for beneficial oxidation reactions to form "self-healing" layers containing compounds that are resistant to water vapor erosion was explored. * Two new experimental methods were developed for characterizing fiber architectures in ceramic matrix composites and observing/measuring the evolution of damage under load at high temperatures, above 1500 deg C. One method uses digital surface image correlation and the other uses synchrotron x-ray micro tomography, which is capable of micron-scale resolution in 3-dimensional images. * Under the umbrella of a virtual test system, methods were developed for: (i) analyzing 3-dimensional images of microstructures of fiber reinforced composites to create statistical characterization of the microstructure, (ii) formulation of a probabilistic generator for creating virtual specimens that replicate the measured statistics, and (iii) creation of a computational model for a virtual specimen that allows representation of discrete damage events.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 31, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA609952
Entities
People
- Brian M Cox
- David Marshall
- Frank W. Zok
- Greg Hilmas
- Peter Kroll
- Qingda Yang
- Rishi Raj
- Robert O. Ritchie
- William G. Fahrenholtz
Organizations
- Teledyne Technologies