Mechanical behaviors of C/SiC composites subjected to uniaxial compression at high temperatures and high strain rates

By using an electronic universal testing machine and a split Hopkinson pressure bar device, a series of uniaxial compression experiments were carried out to explore the mechanical behaviors of a 2D woven C/SiC composite in the temperature range from 293 to 1273 K and the strain rate range from 10 ^-4 to 10 ³ s ^-1. The experimental results show as follows. The composite has excellent high temperature mechanical properties in the tested temperature range. The compressive strength of the composite decreases no more than thirty percent at 1273 K under quasi-static compression if compared with that at room temperature. Catastrophic brittle failure is not observed for the specimens tested at different strain rates. With the increase of the experimental temperature, the compressive strength of the 2D C/SiC composite decreases, but the dependence of compressive strength on strain rate increases. At the temperatures above 1073 K, the sensitivity factor of compressive strength on strain rate increases remarkably. It is proposed that the sharp increase in the dependence of compressive strength on strain rate is due to the oxidation of the composites.