Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic fibers feature high temperature oxidation resistance, superior strength and low density; making them popular choices in aerospace, military weapons and equipment, sports equipment and automobile applications.
SiC fibers are often utilized as structural reinforcement in ceramic matrix composite materials due to their good creep resistance, oxidation resistance and compatibility with ceramic matrix materials.
High Temperature Resistance
Silicon carbide fiber-reinforced ceramics offer the ideal combination of strength and thermal stability, making them perfect for use in aerospace and other high-temperature industries.
This remarkable material boasts exceptional abrasion and corrosion resistance properties. Furthermore, its exceptional toughness, specific stiffness and thermal expansion properties make it the ideal reinforcement material for metal matrix composites (CMC, PMC and MMC).
Fiber’s abrasion resistance makes it suitable for use in gas turbine blades, engine components and other parts that operate under extreme conditions. Furthermore, this material exhibits outstanding creep resistance and thermal stability properties.
Silicon carbide fibers’ combination of high temperature resistance, abrasion resistance and fatigue-resistance make them an excellent choice for reinforcing ceramic matrix materials, improving their strength and fatigue behavior and producing advanced ceramic materials that can replace brittle metals in applications as diverse as jet engines and gas turbines.
NASA Glenn Research Center innovators have devised an advanced microwave process for quickly producing stronger and more tailored silicon carbide fiber tows while healing damaged or low-quality ones. This groundbreaking technology could see increased use of lightweight ceramic fibers and ceramic matrix composite materials in harsh environments for aeronautics, automotive, power generation and other industrial applications.
High Strength
Silicon carbide ceramic fibers possess exceptional strength, stiffness and thermal stability; making them the ideal reinforcement material for ceramic matrix composites (CMC, PMC and MMC) which require resistance against abradant, oxidizing environments at high temperatures for extended periods.
Hypersonic vehicles rely heavily on critical systems that must withstand corrosion damage from hypersonic vehicles; such as engine components or heat shields. Up until recently, however, such protection required costly and complicated metal-based composites that took months or even years to produce. Now however, hypersonic vehicle operators are turning increasingly towards advanced materials designed specifically to guard these critical components against degradation due to corrosion damage caused by ablation or oxidization processes that could otherwise lead to catastrophic failure.
Researchers have developed a manufacturing process using silicone carbide ceramic fibers to accelerate and lower costs associated with developing these materials, and strengthen them using metal and polymer matrix composites. Nicalon(tm) fibers have been thoroughly evaluated by the aerospace industry. CMC fibers offer superior creep and rupture resistance properties compared with traditional ceramics and other types of fibers, and also boast exceptional thermal stability – making them a groundbreaking step in CMC technology. Nicalon is manufactured using an innovative process which involves turning an organosilicon polymer into a SiC fiber form. This unique method eliminates the need for complex sintering processes typically required to form sintered silicon carbide powder, and results in more uniform and durable product output.
High Corrosion Resistance
Silicon carbide boasts low ionic conductivity and resistance to corrosion, making it an excellent material choice for metal matrix composites such as CMCs, PMCs and MMCs. Furthermore, its thermal stability makes it more enduring against harsh environments.
Silicon carbide ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) boast excellent properties such as high temperature resistance, oxidation resistance and compressive strength, making them suitable for aerospace high temperature resistance, reinforcing materials or stealth applications. Their neutron absorption cross section is small making them useful in aircraft construction as well as weapons design or ship building projects.
For maximum durability of CMCs, increasing their tensile strength and modulus are necessary. Furthermore, to prevent delamination, cracking or brittle failure of these materials it is also essential that their structure be improved to prevent delamination, cracking or failure.
To meet this goal, it is crucial to understand the interaction between ceramic particles and metallic matrices. Synchrotron radiation was employed to study the phase composition of samples containing crushed SiC fibers; mechanical properties varied based on layer distribution which could be linked back to secondary phase formation in the matrix; in contrast, pure ceramic particle samples did not demonstrate such effects.
Low Density
Silicon carbide ceramic fibers offer an economical alternative to metal in high performance applications, particularly those in aerospace where new jet technologies need components that can endure intense heat and stress without degrading over time. Unlike nickel-based super alloys which must be hardened through heat treatment processes, SiC-reinforced composites have long term exposure without experiencing structural degradation or failing structurally over time.
The global market for silicon carbide ceramic fibers can be divided into continuous and woven segments. Continuous fibers accounted for the largest market share in 2015 and are expected to maintain this position throughout their forecast period due to their ability to withstand radiation conditions for nuclear power generation and generate high tensile strength compared with carbon fiber, while offering weight savings over carbon fiber products.
Woven ceramic fibers are used by multiple industries – including the metallurgy, chemical and renewable energy sectors – to reinforce refractory materials. Furthermore, they may be utilized during various manufacturing processes like sintering or melt casting.
The Yajima process, first invented in 1975, is the preferred production method for silicon carbide (SiC) fibers. This involves injecting pre-ceramic liquid polymer into a spinneret to produce solidified green (unfired) fibers which are later sintered through furnaces into SiC chemistry before being processed into tows of 300+ fibers for towing purposes.