A Mesoscale Modeling Framework for Progressive Damage and Failure Mechanism Analysis of Ceramic Matrix Composites

The focus of this paper is to investigate failure mechanisms and nonlinear responses of oxide-oxide Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) through a mesoscale model leveraging textile architecture consisting of tows consistent with eight-harness satin woven (8HSW) textile fabric architecture and surrounding matrix material. Tow undulation has been modeled in a manner aligning with fabricated composite material, characterized using optical microscopy. Each material phase, tow and matrix, is modeled as elastodamage solids including both pre-peak nonlinear behavior and post-peak softening responses. The constitutive relation of each tow is further determined through a micromechanics model on the basis of the Concentric Cylinder Assemblage (CCA) approach, where the fiber is treated as an elastic material, while the matrix is modeled as an elastoplastic solid. The mesoscale Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model is established on the basis of geometric measurements obtained from the microscopic images. Various loading conditions are examined to investigate the failure mechanisms and damage progression in CMCs, which encompass both fiber-dominated and matrix-dominated failure modes.