Characterization of Damage Progression in Ceramic Matrix Composites Using an Integrated Nde/Mechanical Testing System

摘要

This paper discusses the use of an unique integrated Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE)/Mechanical test system to characterize the damage progression in a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) under tensile and fatigue loading conditions. During the tests, the effects of damage were characterized in situ using conventional extensometry, and ultrasonic surface and longitudinal wave transducers. The surface wave technique clearly identified the proportional limit of the composite, while the longitudinal wave technique captured the overall deformation behavior during the tension tests. Both ultrasonic NDE techniques showed equal or greater sensitivity to damage progression in the CMC compared to conventional extensometer-based modulus data.