Modeling the Effect of Interface Wear on Fatigue Hysteresis Behavior of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Ceramic-Matrix Composites

An analytical method has been developed to investigate the effect of interface wear on fatigue hysteresis behavior in carbon fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs). The damage mechanisms, i.e., matrix multicracking, fiber/matrix interface debonding and interface wear, fibers fracture, slip and pull-out, have been considered. The statistical matrix multicracking model and fracture mechanics interface debonding criterion were used to determine the matrix crack spacing and interface debonded length. Upon first loading to fatigue peak stress and subsequent cyclic loading, the fibers failure probabilities and fracture locations were determined by combining the interface wear model and fiber statistical failure model based on the assumption that the loads carried by broken and intact fibers satisfy the global load sharing criterion. The effects of matrix properties, i.e., matrix cracking characteristic strength and matrix Weibull modulus, interface properties, i.e., interface shear stress and interface debonded energy, fiber properties, i.e., fiber Weibull modulus and fiber characteristic strength, and cycle number on fibers failure, hysteresis loops and interface slip, have been investigated. The hysteresis loops under fatigue loading from the present analytical method were in good agreement with experimental data.