IMPACT BEHAVIOR OF FIBER REINFORCED GLASS AND CERAMIC MATRIX COMPOSITES

ABSTRACT Glass and ceramic matrix composites with continuous fibers were tested with instrumented impact apparatuses. The composite architecture was crossply (0/90°). The glass matrix composite had a borosilicate matrix with untreated high modulus carbor fibers, while ceramic matrix composites had a ceramed modified lithium aluminosilicate matrix with silicon carbon fibers or prewoven silicon carbide 2-D fabric. All the 0/90° components showed that the edge on orientation had a lower dynamic rupture work per unit area than the interlaminar orientation, with the exception of glass matrix composite materials cut at 45° to the final ply axis. For the ceramic matrix composites the continuous silicon carbide fiber material was tougher than the composite with the 2-D prewoven fabric. For all the composities the percentage of dynamic rupture work which is attributed to crack initiation is less than twenty, and thus most of the rupture work is attributed to fracture of the fibers and fiber bundles after fiber/matrix interfacial bond failure with the attendant frictional sliding mechanism toughness contribution.