In this study, we have examined ceramic matrix composites with silicon carbide fibers in a melt-infiltrated silicon carbide matrix (SiC/SiC). We subjected samples to tensile loads while collecting micro X-ray computed tomography images. The results showed the expected crack slowing mechanisms and lower resistance to crack propagation where the fibers ran parallel and perpendicular to the applied load respectively. Cracking was shown to initiate not only from the surface but also from silicon inclusions. Post heat-treated samples showed longer fiber pull-out than the pristine samples, which was incompatible with previously proposed mechanisms. Evidence for oxidation was identified and new mechanisms based on oxidation or an oxidation assisted boron nitride phase transformation was therefore proposed to explain the long pull-out. The role of oxidation emphasizes the necessity of applying oxidation resistant coatings on SiC/SiC.

Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) are structural materials, which have useful properties that combine high strength at high temperatures with moderate toughness. Carbon fibers within a matrix of carbon and silicon carbide, called C/C-SiC, are a particular class of CMC noted for their high oxidation resistance. Here we use a combination of four-point bending and X-ray radiography, to study the mechanical failure of C/C-SiC CMCs. Correlating X-ray radiographic and load/displacement curve data reveals that the fiber bundles act to slow down crack propagation during four-point bending tests. We attribute this to the fact that strain energy is expended in breaking these fibers and in pulling fiber bundles out of the surrounding matrix material. In addition, we find that the local distribution and concentration of SiC plays an important role in reducing the toughness of the material.

Depth profiles of the phase composition of two examples of calcium magnesium aluminum silicate (CMAS) affected thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) from an aero gas turbine engine were obtained using a monochromatic and collimated beam of synchrotron radiation. One TBC was deposited by plasma spray and the other by electron beam physical vapor deposition. These examples were complemented with an X‐ray diffraction (XRD) study of mixtures of TBC zirconia powder and sand heated in a furnace. The XRD results were compared with electron backscatter images and energy dispersive spectroscopy studies of the cross sections and mixtures. It was found that when liquid, the CMAS enhances mass transport leading to the densification of the zirconia, which then leads to spalling because of the increased residual stresses generated on cooling. Even without spalling densification will reduce a TBC's ability to thermally insulate. The enhanced mass transport can also lead to destabilization of the zirconia if yttrium ions preferentially transfer to the liquid or greater stabilization if calcium or magnesium ions transfer from the liquid to the zirconia. Zircon also precipitates when the zirconium from the TBC reacts with the silicon in the liquid CMAS.

Coatings are frequently required to provide oxidation protection for high temperature materials. Silicon carbide (SiC) coatings have been used to protect carbon-carbon composites on leading edges and zirconia coatings are used as thermal barriers on gas turbine aerofoils. The effectiveness and durability of these coatings is dependent on the residual strains created in these coatings during their formation or deposition and also during service. Tensile strains in the plane of the coating can lead to through thickness cracks that expose the substrate, while compressive strains can cause the coating to delaminate. This paper presents strain measurements of these high temperature material systems obtained with high energy X-ray diffraction. The diffraction also provided useful information on phase, crystallite size and texture as a function of depth. Tensile strains were found in the SiC coatings, and compressive strains were found in the zirconia coatings. Both these strains were parallel to their coatings’ surfaces. The differences in thermal expansion coefficients between the coatings and their substrates can account for both the compressive strain in the zirconia and the tensile strain in the SiC.