SBIR Phase I: High Strength Low Cost Ceramic Matrix Composites

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to develop new high strength ceramic matrix composites using low cost processing techniques. Ceramic matrix composites represent an important class of materials for high performance applications including armor and structural materials. These composites are lightweight, temperature resistant, and corrosion resistant. Reinforcing whiskers, such as silicon carbide, have been used to increase the tensile strength and fracture toughness of ceramic composites. Properties such as tensile strength are directly related to the mechanical and chemical interactions between the reinforcing material and ceramic matrix. This project will focus on a simple low cost method of controlling the interfacial interactions between an alumina matrix and the silicon carbide whisker-reinforcing phase of a ceramic matrix composite. The successful demonstration of this innovation should lead to a better understanding of ceramic matrix composite as well as the development of a low cost method for production of ceramic matrix composites for application as high strength, lightweight materials for structural and protective armor applications. The market growth will be fueled by the development of low cost methods of improving composite properties