Modelling of damage and fracture processes of ceramic matrix composites under mechanical loading

The present contribution focuses on the problem of mechanical response of the composite ceramic material containing internal structure. This initial internal structure of the material consists of: grains, intergranular layers, initial defects (like porosity or microcracks) and initial reinforcement. During deformation process the initial structure of the material changes (evolves) due to development of dislocation bands, local stress concentration and further nucleation of microdefects, their growth into mesocracks and finally to macrocracks leading to the failure of the material. This contribution describes all phases of deformation process of polycrystalline of composite ceramic material including phenomena governing changes of internal structure of the material like: nucleation, growth of defects. In particular to the description of the material response including internal damage process, the micromechanical approach will be used by application of averaging procedures. In order to show local stress concentrations the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) will be applied.