TEMPORAL MICROSTRUCTURE EVOLUTION OF CERAMIC MATRIX COMPOSITES FABRICATED BY LIQUID SILICON INFILTRATION

Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) are a wide variety of materials that consist of embedded fibers in a ceramic matrix. The specific composition of the CMC depends on the every process it undergoes. CMCs offer high specific strength, low density and high thermal stability. The combination of these properties makes CMCs a high end replacement conventional structural materials for high temperature and harsh environment applications (superalloys, refractory metals etc.). The CMCs high temperature capabilities and high specific strength allow designing components for jet-engine and solid-propulsion systems with reduction of weight and cooling needs. This can lead to an increase in efficiency and performance.

Liquid Silicon Infiltration (LSI) is one of the methods for manufacturing SiC matrix based components. Therefore, its optimization is significant to control the final physical and mechanical properties of the material. In this presentation the temporal microstructure evolution of fabricated CMC during LSI and its effect on the material properties are discussed.