Effect of multiaxial stresses on the fracture strength of silicon carbide

Abstract

This work describes the fracture behaviour of silicon-carbide tubular specimens under multi-axial stresses at room temperature. A method of obtaining combinations of stresses in the form of torsion, hoop, axial tension, and compression is described and failure envelopes for silicon carbide are included from the data obtained.Failure theories are reviewed and the results from the work show that the available theories are inadequate to describe both the tension-tension and tension-compression quadrants.For practical purposes a straight-line relation can be used joining axial and hoop tensile strengths and the axial compression strength.