PHYSICS-BASED PROCESS MODELING FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE AND HIGH-STRENGTH COMPOSITES
Abstract
This research aims to understand the fundamental mechanisms of residual stress formation and pyrolysis-induced micro-cracking during the manufacturing of composite materials for high-temperature and high-strength applications through experimentally-validated process modeling. Physics-informed process modeling for Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) manufactured through Pyrolysis-Infiltration-Pyrolysis (PIP) cycles is an undeveloped area with great potential for advancing materials for extreme environments that will help to overcome costly and time-consuming ‘trial-and-error’ design strategies that are the state-of-the-art for high-temperature and high-performance composites design. The correlation between processing parameters, microstructure, and mechanical performance in hightemperature composites is yet undefined and needs to be addressed to enhance performance, enable process optimization, and new material discovery that will establish the U.S. leadership in hypersonic applications. A combination of four experimental and computational tasks is proposed to fill this knowledge gap. A novel computational approach will be implemented within the Finite Element (FE) method and will incorporate mesh-objective Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) theories and phenomenological failure criteria to predict pyrolysis-induced microcracking as a function of processing conditions. Residual stresses arising from the thermomechanical mismatch between the matrix and the reinforcement and the ceramic shrinkage during processing will be analyzed. A method for thermomechanical characterization as a function of processing conditions will be established. Microstructure quantification will be performed after manufacturing through statistical descriptors representative of fiber distribution and matrix properties as a function of processing. Experimental validation will be proposed. This research will result in a novel experimentally-validated process modeling capability for CMCs to establish a correlation between processing parameters, microstructure, and composite performance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 07, 2023
- Source ID
- FA95502110100
Entities
People
- Marianna Maiaru
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Massachusetts Lowell