A Computational Efficient Physics Based Methodology for Modeling Ceramic Matrix Composites (Preprint)

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of modeling inelastic responses of ceramic matrix composites CMC, where deviations from elastic behavior are primarily due to micro-crack evolution within the material. The theoretical basis for this research is a physically based homogenization theory, termed discrete damage space homogenization method DDSHM, which combines micromechanics and thermodynamics to determine the overall response functions of multi-phase materials of arbitrary complexity. The procedure is named DDSHM because the constitutive and evolution equations of the composite are obtained for discrete values of damage numbers of cracks and crack lengths and not in terms of an average damage parameter. The micro-crack evolution law used may in general include time and temperature effects as well as other material parameters including changes in constituent and interphase strengths under extended environmental exposures.