FIBER-REINFORCED DIAMOND CERAMIC COMPOSITES

THE FEASIBILITY OF DIAMOND CERAMICS HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED AT CRYSTALLUME BY CONSOLIDATING DIAMOND POWDER TO NEAR FULL DENSITY PRODUCING DISKS OF SEVERAL MILLIMETERS THICKNESS. DIAMOND MATRIX COMPOSITES HAVE ALSO BEEN FABRICATED BY INCORPORATING SIC PARTICLES IN THE POWDER COMPACT PRIOR TO DEPOSITION. THIS STUDY WILL DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF FIBER-REINFORCED DIAMOND COMPOSITES SPECIFICALLY FOR STRUCTURAL AND TRIBOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS. PHASE I RESEARCH INVOLVES INCREASING THE TOUGHNESS OF DIAMOND MATRIX COMPOSITES BY ADDING CONTINUOUS SIC FIBER REINFORCEMENT AND BY MODIFYING THE FIBER/MATRIX INTERFACE. MECHANICAL PROPERTIES SUCH AS, STRENGTH, STRAIN-TO-FAILURE, AND FIBER PULLOUT LENGTH WILL BE DETERMINED IN BENDING AND TENSILE TESTING AT THE MATERIALS DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA. BY THE END OF PHASE II, A NEW CLASS OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS WILL BE DEVELOPED WHICH ARE TOUGH, HAVE HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY AND MORE CORROSION AND WEAR RESISTANCE THAN CURRENT CERAMIC COMPOSITES.