Multi-scale modeling of refractory woven fabric composites

Abstract

Thermomechanical analysis of a refractory, woven fabric composite was conducted using a multi-scale analysis technique. The composite was made of carbons and ceramic materials. The fibers were made of carbons and the outer coating was made of a ceramic material. In order to reduce the thermal stress in the carbon fibers and the ceramic material caused by mismatch of coefficients of thermal expansion between the two materials, a graphitized carbon layer was introduced between the fiber and the ceramic coating. For the multi-scale analysis, a new analysis model was developed and used to bridge the micro-scale characteristics, i.e. the constituent material level such as carbon and ceramic materials, to the macro-scale behavior, i.e. the woven fabric composite level. Furthermore, finite element analyses were undertaken with discrete modeling of the representative fibers, coating, and the graphitized middle layers. Then, both multi-scale analytical and numerical results were compared. In this study, thermal stresses at the micro-level, i.e. in the fibers and coating materials, as well as effective thermomechanical properties of the refractory composites were computed using the multi-scale technique.