STRUCTURES THROUGH USE OF GRAPHITE FIBER REINFORCEMENT

GRAPHITE FIBERS ARE AN EXTREMELY VERSATILE REINFORCEMENT MATERIAL, SINCE THEY ARE AVAILABLE IN BOTH HIGH-MODULUS AND HIGH-STRENGTH VARIETIES. WHEN COMBINED WITH A METAL MATRIX, THE RESULTANT COMPOSITE MATERIALS EXHIBIT EXCELLENT THERMAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES. TO DATE, MOST GRAPHITE/METAL COMPOSITES HAVE UTILIZED ONLY THE HIGHMODULUS FIBERS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO EXTEND THIS TECHNOLOGY TO INCLUDE NOT ONLY HIGH-STRENGTH GRAPHITE FIBERS, BUT ALSO HYBRID COMPOSITES CONTAINING BOTH HIGH-STRENGTH AND HIGH-MODULUS FIBERS. ESTABLISHED FIBER COATING AND CASTING TECHNIQUE FOR GRAPHITE/MAGNESIUM COMPOSITES, TOGETHER WITH A VARIETY OF HIGH-STRENGTH FIBERS AVAILABLE FROM SEVERAL MANUFACTURERS, WILL BE EMPLOYED TO PRODUCE MATERIALS WHICH EXHIBIT FULL TRANSLATION OF FIBER PROPERTIES. HYBRIDE MATERIALS WILL THEN BE CAST AND CHARACTERIZED, AND A DEMONSTRATION ARTICLE CONTAINING THE TWO FIBER TYPES WILL BE PRODUCED.