24 - Fibers made by chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

A review of the literature up to now on boron and silicon carbide fibers produced by chemical vapor deposition is presented. Their combination of high strength and stiffness combined with light weight has generated composites with outstanding properties. This chapter would summarize the development of boron and silicon carbide fibers in the last decades and describe the effect of manufacturing processes on microstructure and tensile strengths of the fibers. The effect of heat treatment of the fibers themselves on their microstructure and tensile strength were described. Furthermore, the effects of composite preparation process, heat treatment, as well as creep/fatigue process of composites—mainly titanium matrix composites—on the in-situ tensile properties of the fibers were summarized, which is helpful for accurately predicting and evaluating the performance of composite materials. At last, the developments of fiber coating for protecting fiber strength and improving mechanical properties of metal matrix composites are presented.