Parametric Influences of Geometric Dimensions on High Temperature Mechanical Behaviors and Damage Mechanisms of Ceramic Matrix Composite and Superalloy Double Bolted Joints

Given multiple material performance advantages, ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material has become one of the most promising hot structural materials used for thermal protection system in hypersonic vehicles. Under harsh thermal exposure of vehicles in flight, the design of connection structure would be a critical issue in improving load-carrying efficiency and ensuring service safety of aircraft structures in service environments. However, little attention was paid on mechanical behavior and its factors affecting the mechanical property of CMC joining at elevated temperature. To address this concern, a 3D finite element model coupled with progressive damage analysis is carried out to predict high temperature tensile properties and failure behavior of single-lap, double-bolt CMC/superalloy joints assembled by two serial protruding-head bolts. In the implementation of progressive damage analysis of 2D plain-woven C/SiC composites, a user-defined subroutine UMAT including a nonlinear constitutive model, 3D Alvaro failure criterion and Tan’s material degradation rule were embedded into the general package ABAQUS® through Fortran program interface. A parametric study considering geometries of joints was performed to evaluate their resultant influence on high temperature tensile behavior and the associated damage mechanisms for the CMC/superalloy double-bolt joint. New findings were provided for full exploitation of high performance through geometric design of ceramic matrix composite hot structure for hypersonic aircraft.