FORCED FLOW THERMAL GRADIENT PULSE SILICON CARBIDE INFILTRATION FOR IMPROVED CERAMIC COMPOSITES

IN RESPONSE TO THE NEED FOR IMPROVED ENGINEERED MATERIALS FOR ADVANCED ELEVATED TEMPERATURE APPLICATIONS, ULTRAMET PROPOSES TO APPLY THE EXTENSIVE COMPOSITE PROCESSING EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE BASE, AND UNDERSTANDING ACQUIRED IN SEVERAL CERAMIC AND COMPOSITE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS TO IMPROVING THE STATE-OF-THE-ART IN CHEMICAL VAPOR INFILTRATION (CVI) PROCESSING. SPECIFICALLY, ULTRAMET INTENDS TO COMBINE THE FORCED-FLOW THERMAL GRADIENT AND PULSE TECHNIQUES OF INFILTRATION, DIRECTLY RESULTING IN HIGHER QUALITY, MORE ECONOMICAL SILICON CARBIDE (SIC) COMPOSITES FOR USE IN HEAT EXCHANGERS AND HEAT ENGINES. THE PROPOSED APPROACH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SOLVE THE RECURRING DIFFICULTY OF MICROPOROSITY BETWEEN FIBERS DUE TO INADEQUATE INFILTRATION, ELIMINATE THE SUBSTANTIAL PERMEABILITY OCCURRING IN CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART MATERIALS, AND IMPROVE THE ECONOMICS OF COMPOSITE PROCESSINGVIA VASTLY REDUCED PROCESSING TIMES.