TITANIUM CARBIDE USED TO PROTECT CARBON COMPOSITES

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSED PROGRAM IS TO DEMONSTRATE THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF INCREASING THE THERMAL TOLERANCE AND METAL WETTABILITY OF CARBON COMPOSITE MATERIALS THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF A TITANIUM CARBIDE CERAMIC TO THEIR SURFACE. THE APPLICATION PROCESS WILL BE LASER-BASED AND WILL RESULT IN THE COVALENT BONDING OF THE CERAMIC TO THE CARBON SUBSTRATE SURFACE. THE CERAMIC-LAYERED CARBON COMPOSITE WILL BE PROTECTED FROM THERMAL DAMAGE BY THE CERAMIC LAYER AND FROM THE STRESSES OFTHERMAL CYCLING BY THE COVALENT BOND BETWEEN THE LAYER AND THE CARBON SURFACES. THE CERAMIC LAYER WILL INCREASE THE WETTABILITY OF THE CARBON SUBSTRATE TO MOLTEN METALS AND THUS ENHANCE ITS USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GRAPHITE-REINFORCED METAL-MATRIX COMPOSITES. IN THE PROPOSED PROGRAM, TITANIUM CARBIDE-PROTECTED CARBON COMPOSITES WILL BE FORMED AND STRESSED AT HIGH TEMPERATURE TO DEMONSTRATE THERMAL TOLERANCE AND OXIDATION RESISTANCE; METAL WETTABILITY WILL ALSO BE DEMONSTRATED. CERAMIC LAYER PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS WILL BE DETERMINED USING SEM AND AUGER PROFILE ANALYSIS.