Abstract
Material environmental durability is a key factor that will influence our ability to use ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) in high temperature aerospace applications. Various applications require composite components that can operate at T>1400°C.C/SiC and SiC/SiC are candidate CMCs for these applications. The wide range of SiC/SiC composites that have been developed in the past have been unsuitable for long term use at 1450°C due to the use of SiC fibers with inadequate creep resistance and/or the use of matrices that contain significant amounts of free silicon, which limits the maximum use temperature. The goal of this study is to generate both room and high temperature (1400°C (2550°F) and above) mechanical properties data for novel CVI (chemical vapor infiltration) SiC/SiC CMCs containing state-of-the-art fibers and interfaces and silicon-free matrices. High temperature creep rupture tests were conducted to determine if these materials should be considered for various aerospace applications.
