Effects of Steam Environment on Creep Behavior of Nextel™610/Monazite/Alumina Composite at 1,100°C

Abstract

The tensile creep behavior of a N610™/LaPO4/Al2O3 composite was investigated at 1,100°C in laboratory air and in steam. The composite consists of a porous alumina matrix reinforced with Nextel 610 fibers woven in an eight-harness satin weave fabric and coated with monazite. The tensile stress-strain behavior was investigated and the tensile properties measured at 1,100°C. The addition of monazite coating resulted in ~33% improvement in ultimate tensile strength (UTS) at 1,100°C. Tensile creep behavior was examined for creep stresses in the 32–72 MPa range. Primary and secondary creep regimes were observed in all tests. Minimum creep rate was reached in all tests. In air, creep strains remained below 0.8% and creep strain rates approached 2 × 10−8 s−1. Creep run-out defined as 100 h at creep stress was achieved in all tests conducted in air. The presence of steam accelerated creep rates and significantly reduced creep lifetimes. In steam, creep strain reached 2.25%, and creep strain rate approached 2.6 × 10−6 s−1. In steam, creep run-out was not achieved. The retained strength and modulus of all specimens that achieved run-out were characterized. Comparison with results obtained for N610™/Al2O3 (control) specimens revealed that the use of the monazite coating resulted in considerable improvement in creep resistance at 1,100°C both in air and in steam. Composite microstructure, as well as damage and failure mechanisms were investigated.