Multiscale Modeling and Analysis of Foreign Object Damage in Ceramic Matrix Composites with the Material Point Method

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project is aiming at developing and implementing a multiscale composite model to predict the ceramic matrix composite (CMC) response to the impact loading by foreign objects. In particular, the physics-based model will be applied to describe the multiscale foreign object damage (FOD) phenomena of CMCs due to the complex nature of impact dynamics coupled with the composite architectural/constituent complications at different scales. To catch the essential features of FOD of CMCs with the least computational costs, an effective multi-scale model-based simulation procedure is proposed within the framework of the material point method (MPM) so that the size, rate and thermal effects on the composite system response could be described in a single computational domain. The MPM, as an extension from computational fluid dynamics to computational solid dynamics, is chosen to overcome the mesh distortion and interpenetration problems associated with failure evolution in a multi-phase environment, and thus avoid the need for remeshing as required for the FEM and other Lagrangian based methods. The proposed multiscale model-based simulation procedure will be verified and improved with experimental data available, and a parametric study will be performed to explore the effects of various model parameters on the damage evolution of CMCs subject to foreign object impacts. This STTR effort will lead to a better understanding of the multiscale interaction effects on the CMCs system response so that the microstructures of CMC materials could be optimized to enhance the FOD resistance.