Title: Observation and analysis of fracture process of fibre, matrix and interface in UD Si-Ti-C-O fibre-bonded composite

Authors: Mototsugu Tanaka, Shojiro Ochiai, Masaki Hojo, Toshihiro Ishikawa, Shinji Kajii, Kenji Matsunaga, Takemi Yamamura

Addresses: Mesoscopic Materials Research Center, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Yoshidahon-machi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. ' Mesoscopic Materials Research Center, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Yoshidahon-machi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. ' Mesoscopic Materials Research Center, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Yoshidahon-machi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. ' Ube Industries, Ltd., Okiube, Ube 755-0001, Japan. ' Ube Industries, Ltd., Okiube, Ube 755-0001, Japan. ' Ube Industries, Ltd., Okiube, Ube 755-0001, Japan. ' Ube Industries, Ltd., Okiube, Ube 755-0001, Japan

Abstract: The detailed observation of fracture process of unidirectional Si-Ti-C-O fibre-bonded ceramic composites at room temperature revealed the fracture behaviour as follows: first, matrix crack initiated at the strain level of about 0.2%. Then, matrix cracks accumulated with an increasing strain. In these processes the interfacial debonding was suppressed by the thermal compressive residual stress of the matrix. The slope of the stress-strain curve scarcely decreased from the initial one because of the high fibre volume fraction (around 0.9) and of the suppression of debonding. The breakage of fibres, followed by large scale interfacial debonding, occurred just below the ultimate load. Then, overall fracture of the composite occurred, accompanied by a large number of fibre breakage. A simulation of the fracture process was carried out using the modified shear lag analysis combined with the Mote Carlo method. The characteristics of the fracture behavior observed in experiments could be simulated fairly well by this method.

Keywords: fibre-bonded ceramic composites; fracture behaviour; interfacial debonding; residual stress; modified shear lag analysis; Monte Carlo simulation; matrix cracks; strain levels.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.2001.005423

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 2001 Vol.16 No.1/2/3, pp.223 - 231

Published online: 01 Oct 2004 *

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