Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Ceramic matrix composites”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 235 records · Page 13

Non-steady state cracking in ceramic matrix composites

A micromechanics analytical model based on the consistent shear lag theory is developed for predicting the failure modes in a fiber-reinforced unidirectional ceramic matrix composite. The model accounts for the relatively large matrix stiffness. The fiber and matrix stresses are established as functions of the applied stress, crack geometry, and most importantly, the microstructural properties of the constituents. From the predicted stress, the mode of failure is established based on the point stress criterion. The role of the microstructural properties on the failure mode and ultimate strength is assessed.

Dharani, L. R.↗

Notch Sensitivity of Woven Ceramic Matrix Composites Under Tensile Loading: An Experimental, Analytical, and Finite Element Study

The stress concentrations associated with circular notches and subjected to uniform tensile loading in woven ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) have been investigated for high-efficient turbine engine applications. The CMC's were composed of Nicalon silicon carbide woven fabric in SiNC matrix manufactured through polymer impregnation process (PIP). Several combinations of hole diameter/plate width ratios and ply orientations were considered in this study. In the first part, the stress concentrations were calculated measuring strain distributions surrounding the hole using strain gages at different locations of the specimens during the initial portion of the stress-strain curve before any microdamage developed. The stress concentration was also calculated analytically using Lekhnitskii's solution for orthotropic plates. A finite-width correction factor for anisotropic and orthotropic composite plate was considered. The stress distributions surrounding the circular hole of a CMC's plate were further studied using finite element analysis. Both solid and shell elements were considered. The experimental results were compared with both the analytical and finite element solutions. Extensive optical and scanning electron microscopic examinations were carried out for identifying the fracture behavior and failure mechanisms of both the notched and notched specimens. The stress concentration factors (SCF) determined by analytical method overpredicted the experimental results. But the numerical solution underpredicted the experimental SCF. Stress concentration factors are shown to increase with enlarged hole size and the effects of ply orientations on stress concentration factors are observed to be negligible. In all the cases, the crack initiated at the notch edge and propagated along the width towards the edge of the specimens.

Haque, A.↗

Intermetallic and ceramic matrix composites for 815 to 1370 C (1500 to 2500 F) gas turbine engine applications

Light weight and potential high temperature capability of intermetallic compounds, such as the aluminides, and structural ceramics, such as the carbides and nitrides, make these materials attractive for gas turbine engine applications. In terms of specific fuel consumption and specific thrust, revolutionary improvements over current technology are being sought by realizing the potential of these materials through their use as matrices combined with high strength, high temperature fibers. The U.S. along with other countries throughout the world have major research and development programs underway to characterize these composites materials; improve their reliability; identify and develop new processing techniques, new matrix compositions, and new fiber compositions; and to predict their life and failure mechanisms under engine operating conditions. The status is summarized of NASA's Advanced High Temperature Engine Materials Technology Program (HITEMP) and the potential benefits are described to be gained in 21st century transport aircraft by utilizing intermetallic and ceramic matrix composite materials.

Stephens, Joseph R.↗

Advanced high temperature environmental barrier coating for SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites

Advanced environmental barrier coating bond coat systems with higher temperature capabilities and environmental resistance are disclosed. These bond coat systems can be applied to ceramic substrates such as SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite substrates, and can provide protection from extreme temperature, mechanical loading and environmental conditions, such as in high temperature gas turbines. Example bond coat systems can include either an advanced silicon/silicide component, an oxide/silicate component, or a combination thereof.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Advanced high temperature environmental barrier coating systems for SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites

Advanced environmental barrier coating bond coat systems with higher temperature capabilities and environmental resistance are disclosed. These bond coat systems can be applied to ceramic substrates such as SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite substrates, and can provide protection from extreme temperature, mechanical loading and environmental conditions, such as in high temperature gas turbines. Example bond coat systems can include either an advanced silicon/silicide component, an oxide/silicate component, or a combination thereof.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Compact, Lightweight, Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Based Acoustic Liners for Reducing Subsonic Jet Aircraft Engine Noise

Recent developments have reduced fan and jet noise contributions to overall subsonic aircraft jet-engine noise. Now, aircraft designers are turning their attention toward reducing engine core noise. The NASA Glenn Research Center and NASA Langley Research Center have teamed to investigate the development of a compact, lightweight acoustic liner based on oxide/oxide ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials. The NASA team has built upon an existing oxide/oxide CMC sandwich structure concept that provides monotonal noise reduction. Oxide/oxide composites have good high temperature strength and oxidation resistance, which could allow them to perform as core liners at temperatures up to 1000C (1832F), and even higher depending on the selection of the composite constituents. NASA has initiated the evaluation of CMC-based liners that use cells of different lengths (variable-depth channels) or effective lengths to achieve broadband noise reduction. Reducing the overall liner thickness is also a major goal, to minimize the volume occupied by the liner. As a first step toward demonstrating the feasibility of our concepts, an oxide/oxide CMC acoustic testing article with different channel lengths was tested. Our approach, summary of test results, current status, and goals for the future are reported.

testing↗

Micromechanics Fatigue Damage Analysis Modeling for Fabric Reinforced Ceramic Matrix Composites

A micromechanics analysis modeling method was developed to analyze the damage progression and fatigue failure of fabric reinforced composite structures, especially for the brittle ceramic matrix material composites. A repeating unit cell concept of fabric reinforced composites was used to represent the global composite structure. The thermal and mechanical properties of the repeating unit cell were considered as the same as those of the global composite structure. The three-phase micromechanics, the shear-lag, and the continuum fracture mechanics models were integrated with a statistical model in the repeating unit cell to predict the progressive damages and fatigue life of the composite structures. The global structure failure was defined as the loss of loading capability of the repeating unit cell, which depends on the stiffness reduction due to material slice failures and nonlinear material properties in the repeating unit cell. The present methodology is demonstrated with the analysis results evaluated through the experimental test performed with carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix plain weave composite specimens.

Min, J. B.↗

Environmental/Thermal Barrier Coatings for Ceramic Matrix Composites: Thermal Tradeoff Studies

Recent interest in environmental/thermal barrier coatings (EBC/TBCs) has prompted research to develop life-prediction methodologies for the coating systems of advanced high-temperature ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). Heat-transfer analysis of EBC/TBCs for CMCs is an essential part of the effort. It helps establish the resulting thermal profile through the thickness of the CMC that is protected by the EBC/TBC system. This report documents the results of a one-dimensional analysis of an advanced high-temperature CMC system protected with an EBC/TBC system. The one-dimensional analysis was used for tradeoff studies involving parametric variation of the conductivity; the thickness of the EBC/TBCs, bond coat, and CMC substrate; and the cooling requirements. The insight gained from the results will be used to configure a viable EBC/TBC system for CMC liners that meet the desired hot surface, cold surface, and substrate temperature requirements.

Murthy, Pappu L. M.↗

Creep Forming of Carbon-Reinforced Ceramic-Matrix Composites

A set of lecture slides describes an investigation of creep forming as a means of imparting desired curvatures to initially flat stock plates of carbon-reinforced ceramic-matrix composite (C-CMC) materials. The investigation is apparently part of a continuing effort to develop improved means of applying small CCMC repair patches to reinforced carbon-carbon leading edges of aerospace vehicles (e.g., space shuttles) prior to re-entry into the atmosphere of the Earth. According to one of the slides, creep forming would be an intermediate step in a process that would yield a fully densified, finished C-CMC part having a desired size and shape (the other steps would include preliminary machining, finish machining, densification by chemical vapor infiltration, and final coating). The investigation included experiments in which C-CMC disks were creep-formed by heating them to unspecified high temperatures for time intervals of the order of 1 hour while they were clamped into single- and double-curvature graphite molds. The creep-formed disks were coated with an oxidation- protection material, then subjected to arc-jet tests, in which the disks exhibited no deterioration after exposure to high-temperature test conditions lasting 490 seconds.

Vaughn, Wallace L.↗

Creep Behavior of Hafnia and Ytterbium Silicate Environmental Barrier Coating Systems on SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites

Environmental barrier coatings will play a crucial role in future advanced gas turbine engines because of their ability to significantly extend the temperature capability and stability of SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite (CMC) engine components, thus improving the engine performance. In order to develop high performance, robust coating systems for engine components, appropriate test approaches simulating operating temperature gradient and stress environments for evaluating the critical coating properties must be established. In this paper, thermal gradient mechanical testing approaches for evaluating creep and fatigue behavior of environmental barrier coated SiC/SiC CMC systems will be described. The creep and fatigue behavior of Hafnia and ytterbium silicate environmental barrier coatings on SiC/SiC CMC systems will be reported in simulated environmental exposure conditions. The coating failure mechanisms will also be discussed under the heat flux and stress conditions.

Zhu, Dongming↗

Low Cost Glass-Ceramic Matrix Composites for Harsh Environment Heat Exchangers (Final Technical Report)

Nearly all high temperature heat exchangers are currently constructed from metallic alloys that can have good capability but are limited to hot inlet temperatures in the range of 1,200 to 1,400 °F. In general, increasing the hot inlet temperature will improve existing application cycles to operate more efficiently, and it will enable new application cycles to be viable that otherwise would not be. The objective of this project was to mature the technologies associated with the development of a ceramic-class heat exchanger that would significantly increase the operating temperature to 1,600 °F and above. The approach taken was to use Glass-Ceramic Matrix Composite (G-CMC) material and to fabricate coupon-scale tube sheet heat exchangers (HXs) to identify risks, refine details of the process and develop a pathway for this novel approach.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Durability Evaluation of a Thin Film Sensor System With Enhanced Lead Wire Attachments on SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites

An advanced thin film sensor system instrumented on silicon carbide (SiC) fiber reinforced SiC matrix ceramic matrix composites (SiC/SiC CMCs), was evaluated in a Mach 0.3 burner rig in order to determine its durability to monitor material/component surface temperature in harsh environments. The sensor system included thermocouples in a thin film form (5 microns thick), fine lead wires (75 microns diameter), and the bonds between these wires and the thin films. Other critical components of the overall system were the heavy, swaged lead wire cable (500 microns diameter) that contained the fine lead wires and was connected to the temperature readout, and ceramic attachments which were bonded onto the CMCs for the purpose of securing the lead wire cables, The newly developed ceramic attachment features a combination of hoops made of monolithic SiC or SiC/SiC CMC (which are joined to the test article) and high temperature ceramic cement. Two instrumented CMC panels were tested in a burner rig for a total of 40 cycles to 1150 C (2100 F). A cycle consisted of rapid heating to 1150 C (2100 F), a 5 minute hold at 1150 C (2100 F), and then cooling down to room temperature in 2 minutes. The thin film sensor systems provided repeatable temperature measurements for a maximum of 25 thermal cycles. Two of the monolithic SiC hoops debonded during the sensor fabrication process and two of the SiC/SiC CMC hoops failed during testing. The hoops filled with ceramic cement, however, showed no sign of detachment after 40 thermal cycle test. The primary failure mechanism of this sensor system was the loss of the fine lead wire-to-thin film connection, which either due to detachment of the fine lead wires from the thin film thermocouples or breakage of the fine wire.

Lei, Jih-Fen↗

Evaluation of Solid Modeling Software for Finite Element Analysis of Woven Ceramic Matrix Composites

Three computer programs, used for the purpose of generating 3-D finite element models of the Repeating Unit Cell (RUC) of a textile, were examined for suitability to model woven Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs). The programs evaluated were the open-source available TexGen, the commercially available WiseTex, and the proprietary Composite Material Evaluator (COMATE). A five-harness-satin (5HS) weave for a melt-infiltrated (MI) silicon carbide matrix and silicon carbide fiber was selected as an example problem and the programs were tested for their ability to generate a finite element model of the RUC. The programs were also evaluated for ease-of-use and capability, particularly for the capability to introduce various defect types such as porosity, ply shifting, and nesting of a laminate. Overall, it was found that TexGen and WiseTex were useful for generating solid models of the tow geometry; however, there was a lack of consistency in generating well-conditioned finite element meshes of the tows and matrix. TexGen and WiseTex were both capable of allowing collective and individual shifting of tows within a ply and WiseTex also had a ply nesting capability. TexGen and WiseTex were sufficiently userfriendly and both included a Graphical User Interface (GUI). COMATE was satisfactory in generating a 5HS finite element mesh of an idealized weave geometry but COMATE lacked a GUI and was limited to only 5HS and 8HS weaves compared to the larger amount of weave selections available with TexGen and WiseTex.

Nemeth, Noel N.↗

Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) Life Prediction Method Development

Advanced launch systems (e.g., Reusable Launch Vehicle and other Shuttle Class concepts, Rocket-Based Combine Cycle, etc.), and interplanetary vehicles will very likely incorporate fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMC) in critical propulsion components. The use of CMC is highly desirable to save weight, to improve reuse capability, and to increase performance. CMC candidate applications are mission and cycle dependent and may include turbopump rotors, housings, combustors, nozzle injectors, exit cones or ramps, and throats. For reusable and single mission uses, accurate prediction of life is critical to mission success. The tools to accomplish life prediction are very immature and not oriented toward the behavior of carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC), the primary system of interest for a variety of space propulsion applications. This paper describes an approach to satisfy the need to develop an integrated life prediction system for CMC that addresses mechanical durability due to cyclic and steady thermomechanical loads, and takes into account the impact of environmental degradation.

Levine, Stanley R.↗

Fabrication and Testing of Ceramic Matrix Composite Rocket Propulsion Components

NASA has established goals for Second and Third Generation Reusable Launch Vehicles. Emphasis has been placed on significantly improving safety and decreasing the cost of transporting payloads to orbit. Ceramic matrix composites (CMC) components are being developed by NASA to enable significant increases in safety and engineer performance, while reducing costs. The development of the following CMC components are being pursued by NASA: (1) Simplex CMC Blisk; (2) Cooled CMC Nozzle Ramps; (3) Cooled CMC Thrust Chambers; and (4) CMC Gas Generator. These development efforts are application oriented, but have a strong underpinning of fundamental understanding of processing-microstructure-property relationships relative to structural analyses, nondestructive characterization, and material behavior analysis at the coupon and component and system operation levels. As each effort matures, emphasis will be placed on optimizing and demonstrating material/component durability, ideally using a combined Building Block Approach and Build and Bust Approach.

Effinger, M. R.↗

Thermal and mechanical behavior of metal matrix and ceramic matrix composites

The present conference discusses local stresses in metal-matrix composites (MMCs) subjected to thermal and mechanical loads, the computational simulation of high-temperature MMCs' cyclic behavior, an analysis of a ceramic-matrix composite (CMC) flexure specimen, and a plasticity analysis of fibrous composite laminates under thermomechanical loads. Also discussed are a comparison of methods for determining the fiber-matrix interface frictional stresses of CMCs, the monotonic and cyclic behavior of an SiC/calcium aluminosilicate CMC, the mechanical and thermal properties of an SiC particle-reinforced Al alloy MMC, the temperature-dependent tensile and shear response of a graphite-reinforced 6061 Al-alloy MMC, the fiber/matrix interface bonding strength of MMCs, and fatigue crack growth in an Al2O3 short fiber-reinforced Al-2Mg matrix MMC.

Kennedy, John M.↗

The Development and Use of a Natural Gas / Oxygen Burner Rig for Environmental Barrier Coating and Ceramic Matrix Composite Technology Maturation

This work outlines the development of a new natural gas/oxygen (NG/O2) fueled combustion rig located at the NASA Glenn Research Center for high-temperature environmental durability studies of advanced materials and components at atmospheric pressure. The NG/O2 burner rig can simulate the high-temperature, high-heat flux, and high-velocity thermal environments encountered in gas turbine engines. It also provides the capability to study environmental effects such as water vapor and other foreign contaminants relevant to these applications. The rig is anticipated to bridge the gap between other laboratory methods such as furnaces, jet-fueled burner rigs, high-heat flux lasers, and more expensive engine rig testing. The NG/O2 rig is expected to have maximum sample temperature capabilities over 3,000°F (1,649°C) and result in higher water vapor content compared to our Mach 0.3 to Mach 1.0 jet-A burner rigs which is important for characterizing current and next-generation environmental barrier coatings. This paper will provide an overview of the development of the NG/O2 burner rig, initial characterization, and current research and development efforts on environmental barrier coated ceramic matrix composites.

Burner rig↗