Prediction of lifetime in static fatigue at high temperatures for ceramic matrix composites

Previous works have shown that ceramic matrix composites are sensitive to delayed failure during fatigue in oxidizing environments. The phenomenon of slow crack growth has been deeply investigated on single fibers and multi-filament tows in previous papers. The present paper proposes a multiscale model of failure driven by slow crack growth in fibers, for 2D woven composites under a constant load. The model is based on the delayed failure of longitudinal tows. Additional phenomena involved in the failure of tows have been identified using fractographic examination of 2D woven SiC/SiC composite test specimens after fatigue tests at high temperatures. Stochastic features including random load sharing, fiber overloading, fiber characteristics and fiber arrangement within the tows have been introduced using appropriate density functions. Rupture time predictions are compared to experimental data. (authors)