Analysis and Modeling of Erosion in Gas-Turbine Grade Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs)

Erosion of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) gas turbine components due to particulate ingestion at high velocities and extreme temperatures is a complex problem which is not currently well understood. While these materials offer significant advantages in specific strength, heat resistance, and weight, they are difficult to manufacture and can fail unpredictably. To resolve this deficiency, Corvid Technologies (Corvid) is partnering with Purdue University to leverage our expertise in High-Fidelity Computational Physics (HFCP) and fundamental experimental testing, respectively, to develop a CMC erosion modeling approach that would be applicable to any CMC construction method. Our proposed solution is to conduct impact simulations at the sub-scale, explicitly resolving the fiber bundles and matrix, to create a database of erosion response for a wide variety of impact conditions. These simulations will be validated against research Purdue University has conducted on CMC erosion and used to inform a computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based particle tracking algorithm. The long-term goal is to combine these two capabilities into a tool that takes environmental conditions and debris characteristics as inputs and outputs model lifecycle and modified shape information.