"Investigating synergistic effects of elevated temperature solid particle erosion on the mechanical properties of ceramic matrix composites"

High temperature materials such as Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) have grown more and more popular for aerospace applications due to their superior strength to weight ratio and enhanced damage tolerance when compared to super alloy and monolithic ceramic materials. However, there are notable challenges when it comes to their successful implementation of these materials in hot-section aero-engine components, primarily stemming from their susceptibility to severe damage caused by solid particle erosion due to repeated particle impacts. Although extensive efforts have been dedicated in understanding erosion in CMCs, the majority of this research has been conducted under standard ambient conditions. Given the elevated temperature environments in which CMCs will ultimately operate, it becomes crucial to comprehend how high-temperature conditions impact the lifespan of CMCs subjected to high velocity particle impacts. Therefore, the primary focus of this research is on evaluating what parameters affect erosion behavior of oxide and non-oxide CMC at temperatures of 800°C and 1200°C with different velocity of 200m/s and 350m/s, respectively. On a different note, CMCs are prone to significant strength degradation upon material removal resulting from the repeated or cumulative impingement of solid particles. While erosion in ceramics and composites has been extensively studied, existing research may not be directly applicable to strength degradation caused due to repeated particle impacts on CMCs due to their more complex architecture and failure mechanisms at different operating temperatures. Therefore, second objective of this work is to investigate relationship between high temperature erosion behavior and strength degradation in several non-oxide and oxide-based CMCs and to evaluate erosion response caused by solid particle impacts under stress induced conditions involving fatigue and creep loading.