ASME Code Rules and ASTM Standards Integration for Ceramic Composite Core Materials and Components1

Fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites have many desirable properties for high-temperature nuclear applications, including excellent thermal and mechanical properties and reasonable to outstanding radiation resistance. Over the last 20 years, the use of ceramic composite materials has already expanded in many commercial nonnuclear industries as fabrication and application technologies mature. The new ASME design and construction rules under Section III, Subsection HH, Subpart B lay out the requirements and criteria for materials, design, machining and installation, inspection, examination, testing, and the marking procedure for ceramic composite core components, which is similar to the established graphite code under Section III, Subsection HH, Subpart A. Moreover, the general requirements listed in Section III, Subsection HA, Subpart B are also expanded to include ceramic composite materials. The code rules rely heavily on the development and publication of standards for composite specification, classification, and testing of mechanical, thermal, and other properties. These test methods are developed in the American Society for Testing and Materials Committee C28 on Advanced Ceramics with a current focus on ceramic composite tubes. Details of the composites code, design methodology, and similarities to the graphite code, as well as guidance for the development of specifications for ceramic composites for nuclear application and recent standard developments, are discussed. The next step is to “close the gap” to support licensing aspects by validating the code with benchmarking data.

OXIDE FIBER COATED WITH SILICON CARBIDE FOR PRODUCING COMPOSITE MATERIALS

The article presents the results of an experiment on the application of a silicon carbide coating on an alumina fiber and studies the properties of the resulting coated fibers. The purpose of applying a barrier coating to the fibers is to protect the fiber from degradation during the manufacturing of a ceramic composite material. The paper gives the characteristics of barrier coatings, such as thickness, continuity, structure, thermal and thermo-oxidative properties. The obtained data will be useful in the development of new types of ceramic composite materials reinforced with fibers.

Investigation of Failure Mechanisms in Ceramic Composites as Potential Railway Brake Disc Materials

Ceramic composite materials have been efficiently used for high-temperature structural applications with improved toughness by complementing the shortcomings of monolithic ceramics. In this study, the fracture characteristics and fracture mechanisms of ceramic composite materials were studied. The ceramic composite material used in this study is Nicalon ceramic fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites. The tensile failure behavior of two types of ceramic composites with different microstructures, namely, plain-weave and cross-ply composites, was studied. Tensile tests were performed on two types of ceramic composite material specimens. Microstructure analysis using SEM was performed to find out the relationship between tensile fracture characteristics and microstructure. It was found that there was a difference in the fracture mechanism according to the characteristics of each microstructure. In this study, the results of tensile tests, failure modes, failure characteristics, and failure mechanisms were analyzed in detail for two fabric structures, namely, plain-weave and cross-ply structures, which are representative of ceramic matrix composites. In order to help understanding of the fracture process and mechanism, the fracture initiation, crack propagation, and fracture mechanism of each composite material are schematically expressed in a two-dimensional figure. Through these results, it is intended to provide useful information for the design of ceramic composite materials based on the mechanistic understanding of the fracture process of ceramic composite materials.

Rationally designed ultra-short pulsed laser patterning of zirconia-based ceramics tailored for the bone-implant interface

Ceramic composite materials are increasingly used in dental restoration procedures, but current ceramic surface designs do not yet achieve the osseointegration potential of state-of-the-art titanium implants. Rapid bone tissue integration of an implant is greatly dependent on its surface characteristics, but the material properties of ceramic composite materials interfere with classical surface modification techniques. Here, ultra-short pulsed laser machining, which offers a defined energy input mitigating a heat-affected zone, is explored for surface modification of ceramic composites. Inspired by surface textures of clinically relevant titanium implants, dual roughness surfaces are laser patterned. Raman mapping reveals a negligible effect of ultra-short pulsed laser ablation on material properties, but a laser-induced change in the wetting state is revealed by static contact angle measurements. Laser patterning of surfaces also influences blood coagulation, but not the attachment and spreading of osteoblastic cells. The presented laser machining approach thus allows the introduction of a rational surface design on ceramic composites, holding great promise for the manufacturing of ceramic implants.