<title>Full-field characterization of thermal diffusivity in continuous-fiber ceramic composite materials and components</title>

Abstract

Continuous-fiber ceramic matrix composites (CFCCs) are currently being developed for various high-temperature applications, including use in advanced heat engines. Among the material classes of interest for such applications are silicon carbide (SiC)-fiber-reinforced SiC (SiC{sub (f)}/SiC), SiC-fiber-reinforced silicon nitride (SiC {sub (f)}/Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}), aluminum oxide (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3})-fiber-reinforced Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}{sub (f)}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}), and others. In such composites, the condition of the interfaces (between the fibers and matrix) are critical to the mechanical and thermal behavior of the component (as are conventional mechanical defects such as cracks, porosity, etc.). For example, oxidation of this interface (especially on carbon coated fibers) can seriously degrade both mechanical and thermal properties. Furthermore, thermal shock damage can degrade the matrix through extensive crack generation. A nondestructive evaluation method that could be used to assess interface condition, thermal shock damage, and to detect other ``defects`` would thus be very beneficial, especially if applicable to full-scale components. One method under development uses infrared thermal imaging to provide ``single-shot`` full-field assessment of the distribution of thermal properties in large components by measuring thermal diffusivity. By applying digital image filtering, interpolation, and least-squares-estimation techniques for noise reduction, we can achieve acquisition and analysis times of minutes or less with submillimeter spatial resolution. The system developed at Argonne has been used to examine the effects of thermal shock, oxidation treatment, density variations, and variations in oxidation resistant coatings in a full array of test specimens. Subscale CFCC components with nonplanar geometries have also been studied for manufacturing-induced variations in thermal properties.