Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Structures and Materials Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Air Force Institute of Technology

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type

Articles 1 - 30 of 101

Full-Text Articles in Structures and Materials

Investigation Of Additively Manufactured Molybdenum-Tungsten-Rhenium Alloys, Randolph T. Abaya Mar 2022

Investigation Of Additively Manufactured Molybdenum-Tungsten-Rhenium Alloys, Randolph T. Abaya

Theses and Dissertations

The process of creating metal components through additive manufacturing is changing the way different industries can avoid the shortcomings of traditional metal production. Metals such as tungsten, molybdenum, and rhenium have many advantages for different applications, especially when alloyed together. In this study, an additively manufactured alloy containing 70% molybdenum, 25% tungsten, and 5% rhenium (70Mo-25W-5Re) is tested for its strength, ductility, hardness, and porosity. The 70Mo-25W-5Re alloy is printed through Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) under different conditions such as printing speed and printing atmosphere. Additionally, the effects of post printing heat treatment are conducted to understand the advantages …


Thermal Relaxation Of Shot Peen Induced Residual Stresses In A Nickel-Base Superalloy, Bryce E. Van Velson Mar 2022

Thermal Relaxation Of Shot Peen Induced Residual Stresses In A Nickel-Base Superalloy, Bryce E. Van Velson

Theses and Dissertations

Shot peening induces compressive residual stresses in components that positively influence fatigue life. Thermal and mechanical loading causes those residual stresses to relax. The hole drilling method and xray diffraction is used to measure the thermal relaxation of residual stresses in the nickel-base superalloy ME3.


Effects Of A Nitrogen And Hydrogen Build Atmosphere On The Properties Of Additively Manufactured Tungsten, Dana C. Madsen Mar 2022

Effects Of A Nitrogen And Hydrogen Build Atmosphere On The Properties Of Additively Manufactured Tungsten, Dana C. Madsen

Theses and Dissertations

Additively manufactured tungsten was printed in pure nitrogen, nitrogen-2.5% hydrogen, and nitrogen-5% hydrogen atmospheres as part of a 2^3 full factorial designed experiment and subjected to room temperature and high-temperature three-point-bend testing, chemical analysis, hardness testing, and microstructural imaging techniques. The pure nitrogen specimens exhibited the highest strength and ductility at both high temperature and room temperature. Chemical analysis showed a 2-8x reduction in compositional oxygen relative to unprocessed powder. Hardness values for all samples was between 306.8 and 361.5 HV1. It is proposed that adding hydrogen into the build atmosphere reduced the available energy density for tungsten melting by …


Creep Behavior And Deformation Mechanisms Of Spark Plasma Sintered Oxide Ceramics For Aerospace Systems At 1300˚C - 1400˚C, David D. Swanson Dec 2021

Creep Behavior And Deformation Mechanisms Of Spark Plasma Sintered Oxide Ceramics For Aerospace Systems At 1300˚C - 1400˚C, David D. Swanson

Theses and Dissertations

The mechanical behavior of YAG and LuAG was investigated at elevated temperatures. The specific materials investigated in this work include high-purity, polycrystalline YAG, high-purity, polycrystalline LuAG, and two doped variants of YAG: 2at% Yb-doped, polycrystalline YAG and 2at% Er-doped, polycrystalline YAG. Several billets of each material were prepared and processed by means of spark plasma sintering (SPS). Many different sintering parameters were utilized in order to obtain materials with various physical properties and to identify the effects of sintering parameters on the average grain size of the resulting materials. The compressive creep behavior of these materials was investigated at 1300°C …


Evaluation Of Additively Manufactured Lattices Under High Strain Rate Impact, Derek G. Spear Sep 2021

Evaluation Of Additively Manufactured Lattices Under High Strain Rate Impact, Derek G. Spear

Theses and Dissertations

Several additively manufactured lattice designs and configurations were evaluated under compression loads under various strain rates from quasi-static to highly dynamic. These experiments examined how the mechanical behavior of the lattice changed based on the lattice design properties and the applied strain rates. The modulus of elasticity, yield strength, plateau stress, and toughness were observed to decrease with an increase in strain rate, revealing that the lattice designs exhibit a negative strain rate sensitivity. A new lattice flow stress model was developed to account for the mechanical response of the lattice and was incorporated into a computational model for simulation. …


Design And Analysis Of Air-Stiffened Vacuum Lighter-Than-Air Structures, Ruben Adorno-Rodriguez Mar 2021

Design And Analysis Of Air-Stiffened Vacuum Lighter-Than-Air Structures, Ruben Adorno-Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Lighter-than-air (LTA) systems have been developed for numerous applications and have taken several forms. Airships, aerostats, blimps, and balloons are all part of this family of systems, which uses Archimedes principle to achieve neutral and positive buoyancy in air by replacing an air volume with LTA gases. These lifting gases stiffen the otherwise compliant envelope structures, allowing them to sustain the pressure difference brought by the displaced air. The compliance of these structures is a byproduct of the weight requirement, materials and geometrical arrangement of which these structures are built from, typically resulting in dimensionalities that exhibit low or virtually …


Fatigue Of Two Oxide/Oxide Ceramic Matrix Composites At 1200°C In Air And In Steam. Effect Of Diamond Drilled Effusion Holes, Anthony R. Cabri Mar 2021

Fatigue Of Two Oxide/Oxide Ceramic Matrix Composites At 1200°C In Air And In Steam. Effect Of Diamond Drilled Effusion Holes, Anthony R. Cabri

Theses and Dissertations

The tension-tension fatigue behavior of two oxide-oxide ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) was investigated at 1200°C in laboratory air and steam. Both composites consist of a porous oxide matrix reinforced with laminated, woven mullite/alumina (NextelTM720) fibers. The first composite had an alumina matrix, while the second had an alumina-mullite matrix. First, we assessed the effects of incorporating mullite into the matrix material on fatigue performance by studying the tension-tension fatigue behavior of alumina-mullite matrix CMC. Second, we evaluated the effects of effusion holes on the alumina matrix CMC's fatigue performance. Specimens containing an array of 17 effusion holes of 0.5-mm diameter …


Static Fatigue Of Hi-Nicalon™ S Ceramic Fiber Tows At 600°C In Air And Silicic Acid-Saturated Steam, Caleigh M. Nelson Mar 2021

Static Fatigue Of Hi-Nicalon™ S Ceramic Fiber Tows At 600°C In Air And Silicic Acid-Saturated Steam, Caleigh M. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) have the potential to be utilized in applications such as hypersonic vehicles, aircraft leading edges, hot sections of engines, and rocket nozzles. Of particular interest are advanced SiC/SiC composites that can withstand the elevated temperatures and harsh oxidizing environments while maintaining their properties and structural integrity under an applied load. Steam, a major component of combustion environment, is one such aggressive oxidizing environment. As steam passes through the SiC/SiC composite, entering the composite interior through the cracks in the SiC matrix, it becomes saturated with silicic acid, Si(OH)4. Before incorporating SiC/SiC composites in the …


Hexakis Icosahedron Frame-Skin Vacuum Lighter Than Air Vehicle, Brian Cranston, Anthony N. Palazotto Nov 2020

Hexakis Icosahedron Frame-Skin Vacuum Lighter Than Air Vehicle, Brian Cranston, Anthony N. Palazotto

AFIT Patents

A vacuum lighter than air vehicle (VLTAV) includes a rigid frame of rods connected together to form a hexakis icosahedron. A membrane skin covers the rigid frame and defines therewith a vessel configured to hold an internal vacuum that allows the vessel to float in the air. The plurality of rods and membrane skin have weights and dimensions that result in a neutral and/or positive buoyancy for the vessel while preventing geometric instability.


Structural Dynamic And Inherent Damping Characterization Of Additively Manufactured Airfoil Components, Andrew W. Goldin Mar 2020

Structural Dynamic And Inherent Damping Characterization Of Additively Manufactured Airfoil Components, Andrew W. Goldin

Theses and Dissertations

The push for low cost and higher performance/efficient turbine engines have introduced a new demand for novel technologies to improve robustness to vibrations resulting in High Cycle Fatigue (HCF). There have been many proposed solutions to this, some passive and some active. With the advent of Additive Manufacturing (AM), new damping techniques can now be incorporated directly into the design and manufacture process to suppress the vibrations that create HCF. In this study, this novel unfused pocket damping technology is applied to a blade structure and the resulting damping effectiveness is quantified. The application of this technology to complex geometries …


Laser Shock Peening Pressure Impulse Determination Via Empirical Data-Matching With Optimization Software, Colin C. Engebretsen Mar 2020

Laser Shock Peening Pressure Impulse Determination Via Empirical Data-Matching With Optimization Software, Colin C. Engebretsen

Theses and Dissertations

Laser shock peening (LSP) is a form of work hardening by means of laser induced pressure impulse. LSP imparts compressive residual stresses which can improve fatigue life of metallic alloys for structural use. The finite element modeling (FEM) of LSP is typically done by applying an assumed pressure impulse, as useful experimental measurement of this pressure impulse has not been adequately accomplished. This shortfall in the field is a current limitation to the accuracy of FE modeling, and was addressed in the current work. A novel method was tested to determine the pressure impulse shape in time and space by …


Piezoelectric Sensor Crack Detection On Airframe Systems, Kevin J. Lin Mar 2019

Piezoelectric Sensor Crack Detection On Airframe Systems, Kevin J. Lin

Theses and Dissertations

In 2008, the Department of Defense published a guidebook for a methodology named Condition-Based Maintenance Plus (CBM+) which capabilities include improving productivity, shortening maintenance cycles, lowering costs, and increasing availability and reliability. This push replaces existing inspection criteria, often conducted as non-destructive testing (NDT), with structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. The SHM system addressed utilizes guided Lamb waves generated by piezoelectric wafer active sensors (PWAS) to detect the existence, size, and location of damage from through-thickness cracks around a rivet hole. The SHM field lacks an experiment testing how small changes in receiver sensor distances affect damage detection. In addition, …


Initial Stage Of Fluid-Structure Interaction Of A Celestial Icosahedron Shaped Vacuum Lighter Than Air Vehicle, Dustin P. Graves Mar 2019

Initial Stage Of Fluid-Structure Interaction Of A Celestial Icosahedron Shaped Vacuum Lighter Than Air Vehicle, Dustin P. Graves

Theses and Dissertations

The analysis of a celestial icosahedron geometry is considered as a potential design for a Vacuum Lighter than Air Vehicle (VLTAV). The goal of the analysis is ultimately to understand the initial fluid-structure interaction of the VLTAV and the surrounding airflow. Up to this point, previous research analyzed the celestial icosahedron VLTAV in relation to withstanding a symmetric sea-level pressure applied to the membrane of the structure. This scenario simulates an internal vacuum being applied in the worst-case atmospheric environmental condition. The next step in analysis is to determine the aerodynamic effects of the geometry. The experimental setup for obtaining …


Carbon Nanotube Fibers: Mechanical Behavior And The Effects Of The Space Environment, Ryan A. Kemnitz Dec 2018

Carbon Nanotube Fibers: Mechanical Behavior And The Effects Of The Space Environment, Ryan A. Kemnitz

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon nanotube materials are promising multifunctional materials for incorporation into aerospace structures because of their high tensile strength, high electrical conductivity, and low density. This research aimed to characterize the mechanical failure mechanisms of carbon nanotube fibers and examine the effects of the space environment on their material properties. Tensile tests were conducted at varying strain rates and on fibers of varying gage lengths to examine the underlying molecular failure mechanisms and impact of defects on fiber strength. Tensile strength and elastic modulus were observed to increase with increasing strain rate and decrease with increasing gage lengths. The observed effects …


Thermal Management Of Satellite Electronics Via Gallium Phase Change Heat Sink Devices, Brian O. Palmer Dec 2018

Thermal Management Of Satellite Electronics Via Gallium Phase Change Heat Sink Devices, Brian O. Palmer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of additively manufactured heat sinks using gallium as a phase change material in the thermal management of satellite electronics. A design was created based on the footprint of an Astronautical Development, LLC Lithium 1 UHF radio and six heat sinks were additively manufactured; two each of stainless steel 316, Inconel 718, and ULTEM 9085. Each heat sink was filled with gallium for testing purposes. Models were created to simulate the behavior of the heat transfer and phase change processes occurring within the heat sink. Additionally, laboratory data was …


Creep Of Hafnium Diboride -20 Vol% Silicon Carbide At 1500°C In Air, Glen E. Pry Mar 2018

Creep Of Hafnium Diboride -20 Vol% Silicon Carbide At 1500°C In Air, Glen E. Pry

Theses and Dissertations

Refractory metal borides, commonly referred to as Ultra High Temperature Ceramics (UHTCs), exhibit a number of unique properties, such as extremely high melting temperature and hardness, chemical stability, high electrical and thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance. It has been demonstrated that the addition of SiC improves the oxidation resistance of ZrB2- and HfB2-based UHTCs above 1200°C by modifying the composition of the oxide scale. Addition of SiC retards the oxidation rate of ZrB2 and HfB2 by forming a protective layer of borosilicate glass. Creep deformation is one of the critical criterion for structural application of ceramics at elevated temperatures. Compression …


Effects Of Manufacturing Process Variables On Ultrasonic Testing In Electron Beam Melted Ti-6al-4v, Andrew D. Durkee Mar 2018

Effects Of Manufacturing Process Variables On Ultrasonic Testing In Electron Beam Melted Ti-6al-4v, Andrew D. Durkee

Theses and Dissertations

Further research on validating additive manufacturing production quality is required before the realization of direct print-to-fly application of critical components. This research examines the response of ultrasonic testing as a function of various manufacturing variables in electron beam melted samples of Ti-6Al-4V. Four dimensionally identical blocks with 6 spherical voids at varying depths were manufactured using different combinations of stock powder, edge treatments, and void melting. Scans were completed on two sides of each specimen with the transducer focused on the mid-plane. Additionally, one specimen was scanned 6 times, with the focal plane adjusted for each scan to match the …


A Study Of The Hexakis Icosahedron Vacuum Lighter Than Air Vehicle And The Effects Of Air Evacuation On The Structural Integrity, Anthony A. Castello Mar 2018

A Study Of The Hexakis Icosahedron Vacuum Lighter Than Air Vehicle And The Effects Of Air Evacuation On The Structural Integrity, Anthony A. Castello

Theses and Dissertations

The research this paper focuses on is comparing the structural differences between the icosahedron and hexakis icosahedron frame and skin for use as a vacuum lighter than air vehicle (VLTAV), analyzing the stress concentrations in the hexakis icosahedron both with and without the skin, and finding the optimal location and size of the air evacuation method for creating the internal vacuum. Previous research to date has identified dynamic loading on the structure and optimization of the structure, but this will be the first research to analyze the manufacturing of the structure through the development of the air evacuation design. Findings …


Study Of Abnormal Grain Growth In Beta Annealed Ti-6al-4v Forgings, Lee R. Morris Mar 2018

Study Of Abnormal Grain Growth In Beta Annealed Ti-6al-4v Forgings, Lee R. Morris

Theses and Dissertations

Beta annealed Ti-6Al-4V has been used extensively in current aerospace platforms due to properties such as high strength to weight ratio. Recent inspections during aircraft production have revealed regions of excessive grain sizes, resulting in quarantined parts and excessive time spent on root cause analysis and risk mitigation efforts. Uncertainty surrounding these parts has led to increased costs and may cause future aircraft production delays. Part manufacturers have intermittently reported problems with abnormal grain growth in these alloys for years, but to date no supplier has been able to determine the source of this microstructural phenomenon. Leveraging common Finite Element …


Aerial Port Of The Future: Developing Paperless Operations, Peter J. Williams Mar 2018

Aerial Port Of The Future: Developing Paperless Operations, Peter J. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Air Mobility Command (AMC) is combatting manning mismatches with antiquated processes and equipment in Aerial Port operations, and has chosen to address these issues through an initiative called “Aerial Port of the Future.” This initiative is designed to understand challenges in Aerial Ports and implement technological tools, where appropriate, to aid AMC Airmen in their duties of transporting goods and personnel through military channels. Oftentimes, personnel are forced to utilize technology that may not meet their needs, and in turn may resist implementation of the imposed technology. Therefore, first, this research identifies potential technologies designed to improve Aerial Port efficiency …


Stressed Oxidation Of Hafnium Diboride In Air At 1500°C, Thomas A. Bowen Mar 2017

Stressed Oxidation Of Hafnium Diboride In Air At 1500°C, Thomas A. Bowen

Theses and Dissertations

Hypersonic vehicles with narrow airfoils produce thin boundary layers and shock temperatures in excess of 2000°C, exceeding the operating limits of traditional aerospace materials. The use of ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) allows for operating temperatures far exceeding those of metallic alloys. One such UHTC is hafnium diboride (HfB2). Transition metal diborides generally experience significant oxidation degradation at elevated temperatures. The use of additives, such as silicon carbide (SiC) has been shown to reduce the oxidation of transition metal diborides. This research focused on the compressive creep of HfB2 with varying amounts of SiC in air at 1500°C. …


Fatigue Behavior Of An Advanced Melt-Infiltrated Sic/Sic Composite At 1200°C In Air And In Steam, Nicholas J. Boucher Mar 2017

Fatigue Behavior Of An Advanced Melt-Infiltrated Sic/Sic Composite At 1200°C In Air And In Steam, Nicholas J. Boucher

Theses and Dissertations

The tension-tension fatigue behavior of an advanced melt-infiltrated (MI) silicon carbide/silicon carbide (SiC/SiC) ceramic matrix composite (CMC) was investigated at 1200 degrees Celsius in air and in steam. The MI composite consisted of ten 0/90 plies of Hi-Nicalon-S SiC fibers woven in a five harness satin weave (5HSW), a CVI BN interphase to provide a weak fiber-matrix interphase, and a CVI SiC matrix layer followed by infiltration with SiC particulate slurry and molten silicon. Nine tensile specimens of the material were used in a pilot investigation of mechanical performance at elevated temperature. One specimen was used in a monotonic tensile …


Mechanical Properties And Fatigue Behavior Of Unitized Composite Airframe Structures At Elevated Temperature, Mohamed Noomen Sep 2016

Mechanical Properties And Fatigue Behavior Of Unitized Composite Airframe Structures At Elevated Temperature, Mohamed Noomen

Theses and Dissertations

The tension-tension fatigue behavior of a newly developed unitized composite material system was investigated. The unitized composite consisted of a polymer matrix composite (PMC) co-cured with a ceramic matrix composite (CMC). The PMC portion consisted of an NRPE high-temperature polyimide matrix reinforced with carbon fibers woven in an eight harness satin weave (8HSW). The CMC layer is a single-ply non-crimp 3D orthogonal weave composite consisting of ceramic matrix reinforced with glass fibers. In order to assess the performance and suitability of this composite for use in aerospace components designed to contain high-temperature environments, mechanical tests were performed under temperature conditions …


Effects Of Additive Manufacturing Methods On The Dynamic Properties Of 15-5ph Stainless Steel, Allison A. Dempsey Mar 2016

Effects Of Additive Manufacturing Methods On The Dynamic Properties Of 15-5ph Stainless Steel, Allison A. Dempsey

Theses and Dissertations

Experimental research was conducted to determine the dynamic properties and characterize the microstructure of 15-5PH Stainless Steel manufactured through Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) additive manufacturing (AM) processes and heat treated using common heat treatment protocols. A thorough understanding of the material's properties is necessary before such parts are utilized in an operational capacity. Of the five builds, two deviated significantly from the specified composition of 15-5PH stainless steel. The remaining three builds, possessing the desired composition and crystalline structure, were tested in compression and tension at two strain rates. Tension tests using a reflected wave and a momentum trap …


Fatigue Behavior Of An Advanced Sic/Sic Composite At 1300° C In Air And Steam, Michael Lee Mar 2016

Fatigue Behavior Of An Advanced Sic/Sic Composite At 1300° C In Air And Steam, Michael Lee

Theses and Dissertations

The fatigue behavior of an advanced silicon carbide/silicon carbide (SiC/SiC) ceramic matrix composite (CMC) was investigated at 1300 ºC in laboratory air and in steam environments. The composite was manufactured using chemical vapor infiltration (CVI). The composite consisted of an oxidation-inhibited matrix, which was comprised of alternating layers of silicon carbide and boron carbide and was reinforced with laminated Hi-Nicalon™ fibers woven in a plain weave. Fiber preforms had pyrolytic carbon fiber coating with boron carbon overlay applied. Two specimen geometries were evaluated, a dog bone and an hourglass geometry. Tensile stress-strain behavior and tensile properties were evaluated at 1300 …


Creep Of Hi-Nicalon™ S Ceramic Fiber Tows At 700°C In Air And In Silicic Acid-Saturated Steam, Matthew W. Piper Mar 2016

Creep Of Hi-Nicalon™ S Ceramic Fiber Tows At 700°C In Air And In Silicic Acid-Saturated Steam, Matthew W. Piper

Theses and Dissertations

Aircraft structural and engine components are subjected to elevated temperature and steam environments during operation. Turbine blades experience particularly harsh conditions that are approaching the operating temperature limits of current Nickel-based superalloys even with active cooling. Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), which demonstrate high specific strength and specific stiffness and maintain these properties at elevated temperatures such that active cooling is not required, are prime candidates to replace superalloys as the materials for turbine blades. Ceramic matrix composites are composite materials that consist of a ceramic matrix with fiber reinforcement. This research investigated a silicon carbide (SiC) fiber, Hi-Nicalon™ S, which …


Thermal Transport Properties Of Dry Spun Carbon Nanotube Sheets, Heath E. Misak, James L. Rutledge, Eric D. Swenson, Shankar Mall Feb 2016

Thermal Transport Properties Of Dry Spun Carbon Nanotube Sheets, Heath E. Misak, James L. Rutledge, Eric D. Swenson, Shankar Mall

Faculty Publications

The thermal properties of carbon nanotube- (CNT-) sheet were explored and compared to copper in this study. The CNT-sheet was made from dry spinning CNTs into a nonwoven sheet. This nonwoven CNT-sheet has anisotropic properties in in-plane and out-of-plane directions. The in-plane direction has much higher thermal conductivity than the out-of-plane direction. The in-plane thermal conductivity was found by thermal flash analysis, and the out-of-plane thermal conductivity was found by a hot disk method. The thermal irradiative properties were examined and compared to thermal transport theory. The CNT-sheet was heated in the vacuum and the temperature was measured with an …


Creep Of Hi-Nicalon™ S Ceramic Fiber Tows At 800°C In Air And In Silicic Acid-Saturated Steam, Scott J. Robertson Dec 2015

Creep Of Hi-Nicalon™ S Ceramic Fiber Tows At 800°C In Air And In Silicic Acid-Saturated Steam, Scott J. Robertson

Theses and Dissertations

A facility was demonstrated that successfully resolved problems highlighted by previous attempts to study SiC fibers in steam. Monotonic tension and creep tests were conducted to characterize the fibers. The tensile strength of the fibers showed little dependence on applied stress rate, indicating a resistance to environmentally assisted crack growth. Climb-controlled diffusion in air and grain boundary sliding in silicic acid-saturated steam were the dominant damage mechanisms. Silicic acid-saturated steam had a degrading effect on the mechanical performance of the fibers, but much less than unsaturated steam environments. The Monkman-Grant relationship was demonstrated for Hi-NicalonTM S fibers and may be …


Tension-Compression Fatigue Behavior Of 2d And 3d Polymer Matrix Composites At Elevated Temperature, Saleh A. Alnatifat Sep 2015

Tension-Compression Fatigue Behavior Of 2d And 3d Polymer Matrix Composites At Elevated Temperature, Saleh A. Alnatifat

Theses and Dissertations

In this Research effort, the tension-compression fatigue behavior of the 3D and 2D PMCs with 0/90˚ fiber orientation (newly developed) was investigated. These polymer composites consist of an NRPE (high-temperature polyimide) matrix with carbon fiber reinforcement. Compressive properties were assessed at (1) room temperature and (2) elevated temperature with one side, Tright, at 329˚C and the other side open to the ambient air. Tension-compression fatigue tests were conducted at elevated temperature with a frequency of 1 Hz and a ratio of minimum to maximum stress of -1.


Effect Of Prior Exposure At Elevated Temperatures On Tensile Properties And Stress-Strain Behavior Of Four Non-Oxide Ceramic Matrix Composites, Sarah M. Wallentine Jun 2015

Effect Of Prior Exposure At Elevated Temperatures On Tensile Properties And Stress-Strain Behavior Of Four Non-Oxide Ceramic Matrix Composites, Sarah M. Wallentine

Theses and Dissertations

Thermal stability of four non-oxide ceramic matrix composites was studied. The materials studied were commercially available composites: SiC/SiNC; C/SiC; C/SiC-B4C (C/HYPR-SiCTM); and SiC/SiC-B4C (SiC/HYPR-SiCTM). COI Ceramics manufactured the SiC/SiNC and C/SiC composites using polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP). The C/HYPR-SiCTM and SiC/HYPR-SiCTM CMCs were manufactured by Hyper-Therm High-Temperature Composites using chemical vapor infiltration (CVI). All four composites rely on a dense matrix for strength, stiffness, and oxidation protection. Fiber coating provides a fiber-matrix interface that allows fiber-matrix debonding and fiber pullout to occur, imparting fracture toughness to the CMC. The SiC/SiNC, C/SiC, and C/HYPR-SiC …