Novel Techniques for Manufacturing Woven Fiber Reinforced Ceramic Matrix Composites. I. Perform Fabrication

Abstract

Abstract Further research and development of the processing science and technology for ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) is essential for the full industrial exploitation of these materials. This paper describes and discusses a novel, cost-effective processing technique for manufacturing CMCs containing 2-dimensional woven fiber reinforcements. The technique relies on the colloidal processing of ceramic sol precursors and the use of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) to impregnate these sols into woven fiber preforms. The fabrication routes for a woven SiC fiber reinforced mullite matrix and a woven alumina fiber reinforced alumina matrix composite have been investigated. The parameters necessary for the formation of dense green body compacts using EPD are described for the two composite systems. Micro structural examination of these compacts highlights the importance of the infiltration and drying stages to the fabrication of crack-free composite bodies. The laboratory-scale results achieved to date indicat...