Electrical resistance changes of melt infiltrated SiC/SiC loaded in tension at room temperature

Melt infiltrated SiC/SiC CMCs were tensile loaded to the ultimate stress. Electrical resistance of both the contoured gage section and the total sample were monitored throughout the test. The electrical resistance changes were more than 400% at the break point. The data also proved to be very repeatable for various samples within a panel. The electrical resistance changes of the gage section were used to predict the resistance of the total sample, subject to both monotonic and cyclic loading. The model indicated that the electrical resistance change of a cracked sample with varying geometry can be predicted by knowing the response of a uniform geometry sample.