Thermo-mechanical properties of C/SiC composite structure under extremely high temperature environment up to 1500 °C

To address the urgent demand to test mechanical/thermal/oxidation key performance parameters for new ultra-high-temperature structures, a radiation thermo-mechanical joint test system that can perform fracture performance tests under an extremely high temperature oxidation environment (1500 °C) was designed and implemented. Key performance parameters, such as the fracture strength and time to failure of high-temperature-resistant C/SiC composite structure, were tested and measured in oxidation environments up to 1500 °C. In present test, when the temperature rises from 1000 °C to 1500 °C, the fracture load of C/SiC structure decreased by 47.5%, and the time to failure reduced to 50.1% of that at 1000 °C. This extremely high temperature load test system provides an important thermo-mechanical joint test technique to study the mechanical properties of structure and material for hypersonic aircraft under an oxidation environment. The test shows that a high-temperature preload significantly enhances the fracture strength of C/SiC composite structure. In present work, the fracture strength increases by 38% and the time to failure increases by 61.1% for C/SiC. The test results can be used to improve the safety, reliability, and strength of composite components of hypersonic aircraft under extreme thermal environments.