Foreign Object Impact Damage in Ceramic Matrix Composites: Experiments and Computational Predictions

Foreign object impact of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials and components in a gas turbine engine environment could be detrimental to engine performance and hence must be accounted for in the design of such components. This paper is concerned with experiments and computational modeling of foreign object impact phenomenon in silicon carbide (SiC)-based CMC. Controlled impact experiments were conducted on the CMC material using a gas-gun apparatus with spherical hardened steel projectile. The internal damage state within the CMC specimens was assessed using X-ray computed tomography scan technique. The computational modeling involved explicit dynamic finite element (FE) simulation of the impact process wherein either delamination mechanism is modeled or both ply damage and delamination mechanisms are modeled in a coupled manner. The delamination mechanism is modeled explicitly using cohesive-zone (CZ) fracture mechanics approach, whereas, the ply-damage mechanisms are modeled implicitly using simplified continuum damage mechanics approach. The simulation results were found to be in reasonable qualitative and quantitative agreement with the experimental results. Furthermore, it is shown that modeling both the ply damage and delamination mechanisms are essential to predict the correct delamination pattern even for intermediate velocity impacts that leads to predominantly delamination damage. The predictive nature of the modeling approach is demonstrated and approaches to enhance the models are also discussed.