Analysis of Heat Generation during Fracture in Ceramic Matrix Composites

Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) have evolved as potential candidate materials for high-temperature structural applications due to lightweight, high-temperature strength and excellent corrosion and wear resistance. In this investigation, damage evolution and heat generation of CMCs during monotonic loadings were investigated using different types of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques, such as acoustic emission (AE) and infrared (IR) thermography and microstructural characterization. IR camera was used for in-situ monitoring of temperature evolution, and the temperature changes during testing were measured. A significant temperature increase has been observed at the time of failure. Microstructural characterizations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to investigate fracture behavior of CMC samples. In this investigation, the NDE technique and SEM characterization were employed to analyze damage evolution and progress of ceramic matrix composites during monotonic loading.