Creep resistance silicon carbide fiber

A continuous CVD fiber coating process is being explored for the preparation of a low cost, high strength, thermally stable silicon carbide fiber tow. By depositing a 5 pm thick layer of stoichiometric SiC onto each filament of a carbon fiber tow it is possible to prepare fibers that are 89 vol.% SiC which have twice the tensile strength of the commonly employed Nicalon fiber. In addition, the CVD fiber has superior resistance to creep. An economic analysis indicates that the fibers could be produced for 50/lb compared to 300/lb for Nicalon. 

---