Environmental properties simulation for continuous fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites

Continuous fiber reinforced silicon carbide ceramic matrix composites (CMC-SiC) are a new type of thermostructural material with low density, which has developed quickly in recent years for application in aeroengines with high thrust to weight ratio, rocket engines with high impulse to mass ratio, advanced ramjet engines and thermal protection systems. The extreme service conditions in aerospace planes require advanced materials. It is very expensive and time-consuming to evaluate such materials by either ground or flight tests. Developing simulated environment testing facilities and computational techniques for optimization design of materials is an attractive solution to this problem. Two simulated aeroengine environments testing systems, i.e., a simulated equivalent environment system (ES) and a wind tunnel environment system (WS), was developed based on the similitude theory. The effects of thermal physicochemical factors and complex stress factors on the environmental behavior of CMC-SiC can be investigated in these facilities. Additionally, a computer simulation system has been developed based on thermodynamics, molecular simulation and the factorization method. The evolution of the properties of CMC-SiC and of the microscopic mechanisms can be investigated as well.