15
High
Conductivity, Low-Cost SiC/SiC Composites--Thor Technologies, Inc., P.O. Box 5188, Kirtland
AFB, NM 87185-5188;
505-845-1245
Dr. Stuart Schwab, Principal Investigator, stschwab@flashnet.net
Ms. Vicki Schwab, Business Official, info@thortech.com
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG03-01ER83316
Amount:
$99,997
Silicon-carbide-fiber-reinforced
silicon carbide matrix (SiC/SiC) composites are leading candidates for
structural applications in fusion reactors.
However, current methods of manufacturing SiC/SiC composites are slow and
costly, and do not produce materials with the required through-thickness thermal
conductivity. Simple methods of attaching SiC/SiC composites to supporting metal
structures are also lacking. This
project will use high frequency microwave heating, supplied by a gyrotron, to
quickly produce SiC/SiC with crystalline matrices without degrading the
reinforcing fiber. The crystalline
matrix will provide improved thermal conductivity, which will be further
enhanced by carefully designing the fiber reinforcement architecture.
The heating method will also allow certain metal features, such as
low-activation attachment lugs, to be processed as an integral part of the SiC/SiC
composite. Phase I will
demonstrate, the ability to produce crystalline matrix SiC/SiC composites
through gyrotron heating and the ability to co-process integral vanadium alloy
features. The mechanical properties
of the SiC/SiC composites will be determined, along with the effect of neutron
irradiation on the composite microstructure.
Commercial
Applications And Other Benefits as
described by awardee: A wide variety of potential applications exist for
continuous fiber-reinforced ceramic composites (CFCCs) in general and SiC/SiC
composites in particular. These
applications range from aerospace turbine engines to incinerators. The reason that the market for CFCCs has not yet developed is
that their cost, which is a direct result of current processing methods, is too
high to compete with existing metal systems.