Interfacial Sliding Friction in Silicon Carbide–Borosilicate Glass Composites: A Comparison of Pullout and Pushout Tests

Interfacial sliding friction stress (τ_f) was assessed using both pushout and pullout tests on SiC-borosilicate glass composite specimens. Single-filament composite specimens were fabricated by heating to 950°C in argon borosilicate glass rods with fine-diameter (250-μm) capillary in which SiC filaments were inserted. The composite specimens prepared in this manner showed only frictional bonding. The maximum frictional sliding loads for pushout and the initial frictional sliding loads in pullout were measured as functions of the embedded length of the filament in the glass rods. The nonlinear variations of the frictional loads were analyzed using shear-lag models that include corrections for the effects of Poisson expansion or contraction on the sliding friction stress. It is shown that under identical conditions of composite fabrication the two tests give nearly identical properties for the interfaces. Pushout tests on hotpressed bulk composite specimens, however, showed both chemical bonding and a higher sliding friction stress relative to the single-filament capillary specimens. The presence of compressive residual stress on the filaments was independently confirmed by evidence of stress-induced birefringence.