PNNL

Abstract

The objective of this work is to achieve a predictive engineering tool to assess and tailor the thermophysical properties of unirradiated and irradiated SiC/SiC composites. Towards this objective, first, PNNL’s EMTA (Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka Approach) software was successfully applied to predict the thermal conductivity of unirradiated 2D SiC/SiC composites [1]. Next, we have extended the EMTA model reported in [1] to predict the thermal conductivity of these composites subjected to neutron irradiation at elevated temperatures and irradiation doses leading to defect saturation [2]. As EMTA thermal conductivity predictions compared well with the experimental results [1-2], in the future, a unified EMTA for SiC/SiC composites will be developed that addresses both thermal and mechanical properties.