Hybrid Ceramic Composites for Advanced Turbomachinery

"Continuous fiber-reinforced ceramic composites (CFCCs) are inherently wear and oxidation resistant, retain strength at higher temperatures and have lower specific densities than competing metal systems. The hot sections of gas turbine engines and relateddevices are exposed to aggressive gaseous species at high temperature. Because of their thermochemical stability and oxidation resistance, CFCCs have been identified as leading material candidates for high temperature applications; however, new processingmethods are needed to lower the cost of producing these materials, as well as to produce them in forms that can accommodate thin walled sections and that can be attached readily to supporting metal structures. Thor Technologies, Inc. will team with LosAlamos National Laboratory (LANL), Materials Research & Design (MR&D), and a turbine engine manufacturer to demonstrate the capability of the innovative polymer infiltration/microwave pyrolysis (PIMP) process to produce hybrid CFCCs for turbine engineapplications. These hybrid CFCCs contain integral metal features that enable the use of conventional attachments, such as nuts and bolts. The PI has over fifteen years experience in preceamic polymer science and CFCC processing, and the team has thedesign, manufacturing and testing expertise to produce turbine engine components at low cost. Lighter weight materials and the reduction in cooling air requirements will lower the overall we