A PD-FEM Coupling Approach for the Analysis of Oxidation and Out-of-plane Compression Failure of 2D Braided C/C Composites

The difference in the reactivity of carbon/carbon (C/C) composite constituents leads to complex oxidation morphology, which poses a challenge to the prediction of material decomposition and mechanical property degradation in an oxidizing environment. In this paper, a PD-FEM coupling approach is proposed to analyze the oxidation morphology evolution and through-thickness compressive failure after oxidation of C/C composites. For the oxidation analysis, a peridynamic oxidation model is developed to capture the oxidation interface of C/C composites at microscale and mesoscale. Based on the oxidation morphology, the microcracking-based finite element model is employed to calculate the compression failure. This approach is validated by the oxidation experiments and the experiments of compression after oxidation. Finally, the oxidation mechanism at different scales and the effect of oxidation on the compression failure behavior of C/C composites are investigated.