Economical Fabrication of Large Micro-Impingement Cooling Panels

Not Available A major limitation in the usefulness of carbon at elevated temperatures is susceptibility to oxidation. The overall goal of the proposed three-phase STTR project is to exploit a recent university research finding that nanocrystalline silicon carbide inclusions impart excellent oxidation resistance to carbon phases in which they are embedded. The primary Phase I research objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of producing this oxidation-resistant duplex microstructure in a form that also exhibits good mechanical and thermal properties. Nanoscale silicon carbide inclusions will be produced in a continuous carbon phase using several variants of a unique processing approach, namely the blending of a silicon-containing polymer with various carbon precursors followed by pyrolysis. Appropriate precursor choices will enable the evaluation of SiC inclusions in amorphous, turbostratic and graphitic carbon matrices. The two-phase microstructure will be optimized for oxidation resistance and mechanical properties by varying the composition of the blend and the preparation conditions. Carbon fiber reinforced composite specimens incorporating the optimum matrix will be fabricated and tested for thermal and mechanical properties.