Bonding of SiC CMCs to Superalloy Components

Many within the Navy and industry believe CMC technologies are at a stage of development ready for insertion into turbine powerplants. As a designer and fabricator of CMC components, Refractory Composites, Inc. (RCI) agrees that SiC CMC materials and fabrication technologies are of the maturity level for use as high temperature components in turbine engines. In order to truly capitalize on the benefits of CMC components, they must be successfully bonded to state of the art superalloys. In this proposed SBIR program, RCI will develop and demonstrate fusion joining techniques for CMCs to superalloys for operation at temperatures above 700oC and capable of withstanding the harsh corrosive environments encountered in Navy turbine engine applications. In addition we will develop stress analysis tools capable of use in designing joined components. RCI has already developed methods of bonding CMC components to metal components for other applications.