Mechanical behavior of 2D woven SiCf/SiC composites investigated by acoustic emission and digital image correlation

Abstract

In this study, the mechanical properties of two-dimensional (2D) woven SiCf/SiC composites that were fabricated via precursor infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) were evaluated through a three-point bending test, and the failure processes of the composites were monitored under different loading directions by acoustic emission (AE) system and digital image correlation (DIC) technique. Multiple characterization methods conducted on the 2D woven SiCf/SiC composites to examine the failure behaviors indicated that the damage process was dominated by compressive stress in the composites which loading direction was parallel to the layup direction, and the damage occurred continuously during the test. In contrast, the composites were primarily subjected to tensile stress when loading was perpendicular to the layup direction. The mutually supporting results obtained by AE system and DIC technique demonstrate that the combination of multiple analytical methods provides a compelling approach to assess the mechanical behavior of SiCf/SiC composites.