Continuous fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composites

Silicon carbide (SiC) matrix composites have been fabricated by chemical vapor infiltration (CVl), polymer impregnation and pyrolysis (PIP), and reaction sintering (RS). The RS process can be recognized as an attractive technique, because it offers a high density and good thermal conductivity, compared to those of CVl and PIP process. In general, the fabrication of fiber reinforced SiC matrix composites by reaction sintering involves melt infiltration (Ml) or liquid silicon infiltration (LSI). However, the fabrication of continuous fiber reinforced SiC matrix composites by RS focused in melt infiltration (Ml) such as liquid silicon infiltration (LSl) Vapor silicon infiltration was rarely used for SiC matrix composites. 

Figure 20.16 Data from Lowder, R.A. (1993) Fiber coatings and the mechanical properties of a continuous fiber reinforced SiC matrix composite , in Designing Ceramic Interfaces II. S.D. Peteves (ed.) Comm, of Europ. Communities Luxembourg pp. 157-72.

Table 7. Mechanical and physical data for continuous fiber reinforced SiC matrix composites (MAN-Technology, Germany [173].

Developments for the application of continuous fiber reinforced SiC matrix composites (CMCs) have started with and are concentrating on hot components in military and space technology hot gas ducts and thermal heat shields for space... 

SiC- Sic and SiC-C (Continuous Fiber-Reinforced SiC Matrix Composites) Three different processes are commonly used to manufacture carbon fiber-reinforced SiC materials (i) chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) [340] (ii) liquid polymer infiltration (LPI also termed polymer infiltration and pyrolysis, PIP) [341]) and (iii) melt infiltration or liquid silicon infiltration (MI/LSI) [342]. 

As fiber is a primary component in continuous fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites, its characteristic is an important factor that confines the thermal conductivity of the composites. The ideal SiC fiber should be highly crystalline, oxygen-free, and stoichiometric. As shows in Table I,... 

Ceramic fibers can be coated with ceramic slurries and hot-pressed to make dense fiber reinforced ceramic- or glass-matrix composites, Alternatively, continuous ceramic fibers can be combined with other fibers, whiskers, or powders and formed into porous shapes used for insulation (e.g., space-shuttle tiles) or subsequently infiltrated by CVD techniques to form fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites without hot-pressing. For example, Nextel-SiC composites made by infiltration are being considered for applications such as heat exchangers and radiant gas burner tubes [210]. 

Fabrication by Liquid Silicon Infiltration (reaction bonding) (LSI) A leading candidate for use in industrial gas turbine engine is a SiC matrix composite named toughened Silcomp [175]. It is produced by melt infiltration of molten silicon into a porous preform containing carbon as well as BN-coated SiC fibers (e.g. Textron SCS - 6). The composites thus produced consist of a fully dense matrix of SiC + Si, reinforced with continuous SiC fibers. Moreover, the melt infiltration process is net shape and fast. Ultimate strength and strain at ultimate strength are 220 MPa and 0.8 /o, respectively at room temperature (LSI-SiC/SiC Si). 

Continuous carbon fiber reinforced SiC composites were prepared by Xu and Zhang [211] using CVI, in which the preforms were fabricated by the three dimensional braid method. For the composites with no interfadal layer, flexural strength and fracture toughness increased with the density of the composites and the maximum values were 520 MPa and 16.5 MPam , respectively. The fracture behavior was dependent on the interfacial bonding between fiber /matrix and fiber bundle/bundle, which was determined by the density of the composites. Heat treatment had a significant influence on the mechanical properties and fracture behavior. The composites with pyrolysis interfacial layers exhibited characteristic fracture and relatively low strength (300 MPa). 

The three major constituents of any continuous fiber ceramic matrix composite are the reinforcing fibers, the matrix and a fiber-matrix interphase, usually included as a coating on the fibers. HiPerCompTM composites can be processed with various monofilament and multifilament fibers, such as the SCS family of monofilament SiC from Specialty Materials, Inc. CG-Nicalon and Hi-Nicalon Type S from Nippon Carbon Company Tyranno ZE , Tyranno ZMl and Tyranno S A from Ube Industries and Sylramic fiber from COl Ceramics. However, the composites described in this paper all utilize Hi-Nicalon SiC fiber from Nippon Carbon Company. A companion paper, in this book, by Jim DiCarlo [11] from NASA gives the properties of slurry cast composites reinforced with Sylramic and Sylramic-iBN fibers. 

Multi-component ceramics allow the optimization of various physical properties. These include ceramics which form multi-component oxides as well as fiher-rein-forced ceramic matrix composites. However, the oxidation behavior of these materials is complex compared with the pure materials. The leading fiber-reinforced composites are silicon-based and contain continuous SiC fibers with coatings of graphitic carbon or hexagonal boron nitride. The oxidation of the fiber coating at intermediate temperatures is a major issue and models of this process are discussed for both carbon and boron nitride coatings. 

In general, eontinuous SiC/SiC composites consist of three components (1) continuous SiC fibers as the reinforcement, (2) interface coating on fibers and (3) SiC matrix. 

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