Thermal Shock Damage and In-plane Shear Performance Degradation of 2D SiCf/SiC at Medium Temperature

Degradation of SiCf/SiC composites in-plane shear performance after thermal shock represents a significant challenge for the development of hot-end components in aero-engines. In this study, thermal shock performance of 2D SiCf/SiC was evaluated by using precision temperature-controlled thermal shock equipment, and correlation between thermal shock and in-plane shear performance was established. The results showed that borosilicate glass (BSG) coating caused SiC matrix forming BSG bubbles and oxidation, while BN interfacial debonding worsened with increasing number of thermal shocks. However, the thermal shock did not affect matrix cracking and fiber bridging. Furthermore, the in-plane shear stress-strain curve maintained bilinear trend. The degradation of the in-plane shear mechanism was attributed to the thermal expansion mismatch and the oxidation of SiC matrix. The in-plane shear modulus decreased from 78.5 to 63.6 GPa, the in-plane proportional limit stress decreased from 128.9 to 99.3 MPa, and the in-plane shear stress decreased from 205.8 to 187.3 MPa. According to the in-plane shear mixing rules, the degradation of shear modulus was caused by increased interface debonding. Combined with matrix cracking stress equation, this indicated that volume fraction decreased due to SiC matrix oxidation, resulting in degradation of proportional limit stress. Based on modified rigid body sliding model, using fiber step spacing could predict the degradation of in-plane shear strength after thermal shock, with the error between the theoretical calculation results and the actual values less than 20%.