Physics-based Life Prediction Model Incorporating Environmental Effects for SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites

To successfully address the complexities of predicting the performance of SiC/SiC material system, Dr. Fish and Dr. Yuan from MDS, LLC with expertise and record of accomplishments in developing integrated multiscale design software for composite materials have teamed up with Prof. Greg Morscher from the University of Akron (formerly at NASA Glenn), who compliments our modeling and simulation expertise with extensive experience and record of accomplishments in accelerated testing of CMC materials subjected to extreme environments and with Dr. Cook from Rolls-Royce Aerospace who will provide us access to its material database valued at $250,000. Multiscale Design Systems, LLC in collaboration with the domain expert and the Original Equipment Manufacturer will develop integrated multiscale design software for SiC/SiC materials, hereafter to be referred as MDS-C. The key functionalities of the MDS-C to be developed are: 1. Deterministic multiscale multiphysics thermo-mechano-oxidation capabilities; 2. Automated design cycle for SiC/SiC materials including integration of experiments and simulation; 3. Seamless commercial software user interface; and 4. Intuitive, workable, user-friendly GUI. While environmental degradation mechanisms for PMCs and CMCs are substantially different, portions of the software architecture and graphical user interface developed under Phase I award (topic AF083-074) for HTPMC materials will be leveraged for the current effort. BENEFIT: The primary role envisaged for non-oxide ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs), such as those based on the SiC/SiC system, is in the hottest sections of advanced aircraft engines and land turbines, such as combustor liners and jet-exhaust vanes. By obtaining a better understanding of the oxidation kinetics of carbon fibers in a ceramic matrix, the best approaches for protecting against oxidation will be determined depending on the application conditions, such as environment, temperature, stresses and required component lives. Such a predictive capability will be developed and housed in the Multiscale Design System product line (MDS-C) and will be of immediate use where conventional design procedures for SiC/SiC components lacked predictability. The MDS-C will provide not only a customizable environment for research into CMC materials, but also an integrated engineering design platform for high temperature components. The thermo-mechano-oxidation capabilities will become part of our MDS-C product line and will continue to be enhanced to meet more general needs. The two collaborators (Dr. Greg Morscher formerly at NASA Glenn and Dr. Cook from Rolls-Royce Aerospace) are indicative that the proposed life prediction methodology and advanced design tools for CMC components will be readily marketable to commercial aircraft.