A meso-scale model of progressive damage and failure in LSI-produced ceramic matrix composites for aerospace applications

Abstract. The paper is focused on the development of a modelling approach for Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) laminates, produced through a cost-affordable Liquid Silicon Infiltration (LSI) technique. The objective is the development of a tool capable of evaluating the design values for the material in the presence of technological defects and complex geometrical features, which could be used at the level of structural elements of details of reusable space vehicles. The model exploits a bi-phasic decomposition to capture four important aspect of the material: the non-linear behaviour occurring when load is not applied in the fibre direction, the significant bending to tensile strength ratio, the role of matrix fractures in the failure process and the role of delamination phenomena in the response. The correlation with tensile and bending tests performed with different lay-ups indicates that the developed approach can fulfil such objectives and may be used in the definition of structural details and of damage tolerance of innovative space vehicles.