Delayed failure of ceramic matrix composites in tension at elevated temperatures

Ultimate tensile strength of five different continuous fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), including SiCf/BSAS (two dimensional (2D), 2 types), SiCf/MAS (2D), SiCf/SiC (2D), and Cf/SiC (2D, 2 types), was determined as a function of test rate at 1100-1200 °C in air. All five CMCs exhibited a significant dependency of ultimate tensile strength on test rate such that the ultimate tensile strength decreased with decreasing test rate. The dependency of ultimate tensile strength on test rate, the applicability of preload technique, and the predictability of life from one loading configuration (constant stress-rate loading) to another (constant stress loading) all suggested that the overall, phenomenological delayed failure of the CMCs would be governed by a power-law type of slow crack growth.