The role of oxidation in time-dependent response of ceramic–matrix composites

In this work, a model is constructed to account for the effect of oxidation of the fiber, fiber interface coating and surrounding matrix on the stress distribution and strain accumulation in ceramic–matrix composites. The model includes the role of the fabric architecture, the effect of porosity and the distribution of cracks in its formulation and utilizes oxidation rate constants and phenomenological models for the progress of oxidation as reported in literature.Dwell fatigue experiments were carried out for silicon carbide/silicon carbide nitride (SiC/SiNC) and Melt infiltrated silicon carbide/silicon carbide (MI SiC/SiC) composites to evaluate their time-dependent strain accumulation. Strain accumulation due to oxidation calculated by the model was compared to time-dependent strain obtained from experiment and showed that the rate of strain accumulation due to oxidation was low before the fibers were exposed to the environment but drastically increased after that. Such high rate of strain accumulation can be one of the main causes for failure of the composite.Model results showed that strain accumulation in both composites due to oxidation was dependent on the stress level with the SiC/SiNC accumulating more strain at similar stress levels. This can be explained by the higher modulus of the MI SiC/SiC that limits deformation, reducing crack density and accordingly decreasing the chance of oxygen to infiltrate the specimen and oxidize the fibers. Strain accumulation due to oxidation was also dependent on the fabric architecture and stress distribution within the unit cell. Additionally, comparing the effect of the value of the linear and parabolic oxidation rate constants reported by different researchers showed that not only is their absolute value important, but also their ratio to one another.