Thermal-Shock-Resistant Materials.

Aerospace applications that take advantage of the refractory nature of ceramic materials also impose upon these materials severe conditions of thermal shock. The severity of this thermal environment is so great that prevention of crack nucleation is not possible. Therefore, thermal-shock-resistant materials for severe environments are designed to prevent crack propagation. These materials can sustain thermal strains without generating the thermal stresses that otherwise would lead to catastrophic failure. The thermal-shock-resistant materials that have been developed are composite materials with either carbide or oxide matrices. Thermal simulation tests have revealed that these materials have resistances to thermal shock far superior to those of more conventional ceramic materials. The ability to withstand such severe thermal conditions can be attributed to the behavior of the individual phases within the microstructures. Author