John J. Brennan

Creep and Fatigue of Silicon Carbide Fiber-Reinforced BMAS Glass-Ceramic Matrix Composites

Fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites are being developed for high-temperature structural applications.1, 2 Critical to the success of fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites is the presence of a suitably weak fiber/matrix interfacial bond that is also stable at high temperatures1–5 Graphite fiber reinforced composites and SiC fiberreinforced composites with a carbon interfacial layer have demonstrated high strength and toughness at room temperature. However, these materials are susceptible to oxidation during long-term elevated temperature exposure. Much work has been devoted to interface designs to improve the thermal stability of the composites.6–8 However, to date, success has been limited. For this reason, fundamental research on failure mechanisms of fiber-reinforced composites has been confined to studying stress distribution in the material, and experimental work has been restricted to anaerobic ambients. To the author’s knowledge, few studies have been conducted in aerobic ambients above 1000°C, which is the target for most future applications.