Stress distribution in biomorphous SiC-ceramics under radial tensile loading

Biomorphous SiC-ceramics were prepared by reactive Si-vapor infiltration of carbonized wood templates. The meso- and macroscopic anatomy of pinus silv. was converted into a highly porous, single-phase SiC-ceramic with elongated pore structure and anisotropic mechanical properties. The local stress distributions in the biomorphous ceramic subjected to external tensile loading were analyzed for different wood tissue anatomies using the Finite Element Method (FEM). First, the microscopical cellular morphology of the biomorphous SiC-ceramics was simulated by idealized two-dimensional substructures. The influence of the porosity, pore shape and strut thickness on the local stress distribution for radial (non-axial) load was investigated. Second, the stress distribution of the mesoscopical combined structure with the early wood/late wood transition was evaluated.