The chemical, structural and thermomechanical properties of SiC and diamond CVD-monofilaments have been investigated. Electron and Raman microprobe analyses showed graded radial atomic and phase distributions in the SiC filaments. Thermomechanical investigations (tensile/bending elastic modulus/creep tests) were carried out on single filaments and these properties were correlated with the physicochemical features. The thermal behaviour of the CVD-SiC filaments is strongly related to the nature and the amounts of intergranular secondary phases (free carbon or silicon). The strong covalent bonds and the microcrystalline state of the CVD-diamond filaments give rise to an outstanding thermal behaviour.
Silicon carbide fiber‐reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites (SiCf/SiC) have been produced using microwave heated chemical vapor infiltration. Preferential densification of the composite from the inside out was clearly observed. Although an average relative density of only 55% was achieved in 24 h, representative of an ∼26% increase over the initial fiber vol%, the center of the preform densified to 73% of the theoretical. The densification mechanisms were investigated using X‐ray absorptiometry and scanning electron microscopy. The initial inverse temperature profile obtained, which was found to result in the efficient filling of the intratow porosity, although not the intertow porosity, flattened out after approximately 6 h as the densification front moved outward toward the edges. Although not investigated directly, the evidence suggested that this was caused by changes in both the thermal conductivity and microwave absorption characteristics as the samples densified.
SummaryConventional routes to producing ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) require the use of high temperatures to sinter the individual ceramic particles of the matrix together. Sintering temperatures are typically much higher than the upper temperature limits of the fibres. This paper details preliminary work carried out on producing a CMC via chemical vapour infiltration (CVI), a process that involves lower processing temperatures, thus avoiding fibre degradation. The CVI process has been modified and supplemented in an attempt to reduce the CVI process time and to lower the cost of this typically expensive process. To this end microwave-enhanced CVI (MECVI) has been chosen, along with two alternative pre-infiltration steps: electrophoretic infiltration and vacuum bagging. The system under investigation is based on silicon carbide fibres within a silicon carbide matrix (SiC f /SiC).The results demonstrate that both approaches result in an enhanced initial density and a consequent significant reduction in the time required for the MECVI processing step. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was used as a nondestructive, density evaluation technique. Initial results indicate that the presence of the SiC powder in the pre-form changes the deposition profile during the MECVI process.
One of the key problems in copper-diamond composites is the interface between the metal matrix and the diamond reinforcement. In order to take advantage of the high thermal conductive diamond filler in a composite the design of the interface is crucial. One approach to minimize the thermal contact resistance between metal and diamond reinforcement is to coat the diamonds with functional layers, e.g. Mo or W. For coating of diamonds PVD and CVD have been used followed by characterization of coating thickness by different methods. The coated diamonds were used for composite manufacturing and the thermal diffusivity of the compacted materials was measured.
In the development of monofilaments, a good understanding of the process/property relationships is essential. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a powerful tool but too slow and expensive to be used routinely. Alternative, cheaper techniques have therefore been investigated. The microstructures of three SiC monofilaments (DERA Sigma SM1140+, Textron SCS‐6 and Ultra‐SCS) and some experimental samples were studied using a combination of TEM, electron microprobe analysis, Raman microprobe analysis, thermo‐gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found that the Raman technique was complementary to TEM and easily identified the presence of amorphous C and Si. These could not be seen by electron or X‐ray diffraction techniques. DSC indicated the presence of free Si in the DERA Sigma SM1140+ monofilament by a distinctive peak at ∼1400 °C. TGA showed the reaction of monofilament components with gaseous species. The Textron SCS‐6 and Ultra species lost weight as C was oxidized to gaseous CO. By contrast, the Sigma monofilament gained weight from formation of SiO2 from the free Si. The separations of the transverse optical phonon peaks in the Raman spectra were correlated with the density of stacking faults in the SiC crystallites. This was similar in all monofilaments. Analysis of the polarization of the Raman scattering gave information on the orientation of crystallites. The crystallites in SM1140+ and SCS‐6 were orientated predominantly with the <111> parallel to the radius. Preliminary interpretation of the polarized Raman scattering from Ultra‐SCS indicated more than one orientation of crystallite. One possibility was a mixture of <111> and <110> directions parallel to the radius.
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