A New Probabilistic Approach for Accurate Fatigue Data Analysis of Ceramic Materials

Abstract

Statistical methods for the design of ceramic components for time-dependent failure modes have been developed that can significantly enhance component reliability, reduce baseline data generation costs, and lead to more accurate estimates of slow crack growth (SCG) parameters. These methods are incorporated into the Honeywell Engines & Systems CERAMIC and ERICA computer codes. Use of the codes facilitates generation of material strength parameters and SCG parameters simultaneously, by pooling fast fracture data from specimens that are of different sizes, or stressed by different loading conditions, with data derived from static fatigue experiments. The codes also include approaches to calculation of confidence bounds for the Weibull and SCG parameters of censored data and for the predicted reliability of ceramic components. This paper presents a summary of this new fatigue data analysis technique and an example demonstrating the capabilities of the codes with respect to time-dependent failure modes. This work was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy/Oak Ridge National Laboratory (DoE/ORNL) under Contract No. DE-AC05-84OR21400. [S0742-4795(00)02103-7]