VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE FIBERS OF TIC AND TIB(2)

COMPOSITE MATERIALS FOR COMPONENTS OF ADVANCED AEROSPACE POWER AND PROPULSION SYSTEMS OFFER PERFORMANCE, WEIGHT AND COST ADVANTAGES OVER COMPETING MATERIALS. INCREASING DEMANDS ON THE STRENGTH AND TEMPERATURE TOLERANCE FOR THESE MATERIALS WILL REQUIRE INNOVATIVE APPROACHES IN COMPOSITION AND FABRICATION. COMPOSITE MATERIALS COMPOSED OF SINGLE CRYSTAL WHISKERS SHOW PROMISING TENSILE STRENGTH BUT HAVE PROVEN DIFFICULT TO GROW AND HAVE NOT BEEN PRODUCED IN USEFUL LENGTHS. LASER-GENICS CORPORATION IS PROPOSING TO INVESTIGATE THE GROWTH OF SINGLE CRYSTAL FIBERS OF TIB(2) AND TIC BY THE LASER HEATED PEDESTAL GROWTH TECHNIQUE. TIB(2) HAS A MELTING POINT OF 2900 DEG C AND TIC HAS A MELTING POINT OF 3140 DEG C MAKING THEM VERY DIFFICULT TO GROW IN ANY CONFIGURATION. WE HAVE ACHIEVE INITIAL SUCCESS IN GROWING BOTH TIC AND TIB(2) BUT IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE COMMERCIALLY INTERESTING LENGTHS OF THESE MATERIALS, THE GROWTH MUST BE OPTIMIZED. FIBERS WILL BE GROWN, THEIR MORPHOLOGY CHARACTERIZED AND STRENGTH MEASUREMENTS MADE DURING THE PHASE I EFFORT. SINGLE CRYSTAL FIBERS OF MULTI-METER LENGTHS WILL BE THE BASIS OF PHASE II.