Silicon carbide fibers

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Silicon carbide fibers are fibers ranging from 5 [1] to 150 [2] micrometres in diameter and composed primarily of silicon carbide molecules. Depending on manufacturing process, they may have some excess silicon or carbon, or have a small amount of oxygen. Relative to organic fibers and some ceramic fibers, silicon carbide fibers have high stiffness, [2] high tensile strength, [2] low weight, high chemical resistance, high temperature tolerance[ dubious – discuss ] and low thermal expansion. (refs) These properties have made silicon carbide fiber the choice for hot section components in the next generation of gas turbines, e.g. the LEAP engine [3] from GE (General Electric). [4]

Contents

Manufacture

There are several manufacturing approaches to making silicon carbide fibers. [5] [6] The one with the longest historical experience, invented in 1975 and called the Yajima process, [7] uses a pre-ceramic liquid polymer that is injected through a spinneret to produce solidified green (unfired) fibers that go through a series of processing steps, including significant time in high temperature furnaces to convert the polymer to the desired SiC chemistry. These fibers are typically smaller than 20 microns in diameter [1] and supplied as twisted tows containing 300+ fibers. Several companies employ some variation of this technique, including Nippon Carbon (Japan), Ube Industries (Japan), and the NGS consortium (USA)[ citation needed ].

A second approach utilizes chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to form silicon carbide on a central core of a dissimilar material as the core traverses a high temperature reactor. Developed by Textron [1] (now Specialty Materials Inc located in Massachusetts [8] ) over 40 years ago, the silicon carbide deposit resulting from the gas-phase CVD reaction builds up on a carbon core with a columnar microstructure. [1] The fiber, sold as the SCS product family, is relatively large in diameter, measuring from approximately 80 to 140 microns. [1]

Laser-driven CVD (LCVD) is a related approach using multiple laser beams as the energy source to incite the gas phase reaction, with the significant difference that the fibers are grown as-formed and not on any core structure, [9] [10] [11] The LCVD fibers are fabricated in a parallel array as each laser beam corresponds to a deposited fiber, with growth rates ranging from 100 microns to over 1 millimeter per second and fiber diameters ranging from 20 to 80 microns. Free Form Fibers, based in upstate New York, has developed the LCVD technology for the past 10 years.

Usage

Almost all silicon carbide fiber produced is used as a fiber reinforcement material in ceramic composites. The majority are used to produce metal matrix composites, such as aluminum, titanium, or molybdenum composites. [2] They can also be used to make various ceramic matrix composites such as SiC/SiC, a high temperature composite used in aerospace. [12]

Silicon carbide (SiC) fibers are used in aerospace, automotive, and defense for high-strength, heat-resistant components like engine parts and armor. [13] They reinforce composites in turbines and nuclear reactors, improve medical devices, and enhance electronics with superior thermal conductivity. [14] [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) is a chemical process used to produce high purity, high performance films, fibers, and mechanical hardware (MEMS). It is a form of chemical vapor deposition in which a laser beam is used to locally heat the semiconductor substrate, causing the vapor deposition chemical reaction to proceed faster at that site. The process is used in the semiconductor industry for spot coating, the MEMS industry for 3-D printing of hardware such as springs and heating elements,2,6,7,9 and the composites industry for boron and ceramic fibers. As with conventional CVD, one or more gas phase precursors are thermally decomposed, and the resulting chemical species 1) deposit on a surface, or 2) react, form the desired compound, and then deposit on a surface, or a combination of (1) and (2).

Ultra-high temperature ceramic matrix composites (UHTCMC) are a class of refractory ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) with melting points significantly higher than that of typical CMCs. Among other applications, they are the subject of extensive research in the aerospace engineering field for their ability to withstand extreme heat for extended periods of time, a crucial property in applications such as thermal protection systems (TPS) and rocket nozzles. Carbon fiber-reinforced carbon (C/C) maintains its structural integrity up to 2000 °C; however, C/C is mainly used as an ablative material, designed to purposefully erode under extreme temperatures in order to dissipate energy. Carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites (C/SiC) and Silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites (SiC/SiC) are considered reusable materials because silicon carbide is a hard material with a low erosion and it forms a silica glass layer during oxidation which prevents further oxidation of inner material. However, above a certain temperature starts the active oxidation of silicon carbide matrix to gaseous silicon monoxide, consequently loss of protection from further oxidation, which leads the material to an uncontrolled and fast erosion. For this reason C/SiC and SiC/SiC are used in the range of temperature between 1200° - 1400 °C.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Composite Materials Handbook (CMH-17) Volume 5, Ceramic Matrix Composites; published by SAE International, 2017 (from chapter 3.2) https://www.library.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/HDBK17-5.pdf
  2. 1 2 3 4 https://www.library.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/HDBK17-3F.pdf section 2.4.1.6
  3. ↑ "Ceramic matrix composites take flight in LEAP jet engine | ORNL". Ornl.gov. 2017-01-03. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
  4. ↑ Website of CFM, the joint venture manufacturer (between GE and Saffran Aircraft Engines) of the LEAP engine, https://www.cfmaeroengines.com/engines/leap/
  5. ↑ "How to knit silicon carbide fibers | The American Ceramic Society". Advanced Engineering Materials. Ceramics.org. 2012-07-03. doi:10.1002/adem.201100192. S2CID   135924275 . Retrieved 2018-03-30.
  6. ↑ "Silicon Carbide SiC Material Properties". Accuratus.com. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
  7. ↑ US 4,052,430,Yajima, Seishi; Hayashi, Josaburo& Omori, Mamoru,"Method for producing organosilicon high molecular weight compounds having silicon and carbon as main skeleton components and said organosilicon high molecular weight compounds",issued 1977-10-04
  8. ↑ "Specialty Materials, Inc. - History". Specmaterials.com. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
  9. ↑ Maxwell, James & Chavez, Craig & W. Springer, Robert & Maskaly, Karlene & Goodin, Dan. (2007). “Preparation of superhard BxCy fibers by microvortex-flow hyperbaric laser chemical vapor deposition”, Diamond and Related Materials v 16. pp. 1557-1564
  10. ↑ T. Wallenberger, Frederick & C. Nordine, Paul & Boman, Mats. (1994). “Inorganic fibers and microstructures directly from the vapor phase”. Composites Science and Technology v 51. pp. 193-212.
  11. ↑ Maxwell, James & Boman, Mats & W Springer, Robert & Narayan, Jaikumar & Gnanavelu, Saiprasanna. (2006). “Hyperbaric Laser Chemical Vapor Deposition of Carbon Fibers from the 1-Alkenes, 1-Alkynes, and Benzene”. Journal of the American Chemical Society v 128. pp. 4405-4413
  12. ↑ "Silicon Carbide (SiC) Fiber-Reinforced SiC Matrix Composites | T2 Portal". technology.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  13. ↑ US 20120088088A1
  14. ↑ Ross, Lisa (Aug 8, 2024). "What Are the Uses of Silicon Carbide?". Advanced Ceramic Materials. Retrieved Sep 23, 2024.
  15. ↑ Agarwal, A.K. (1996). "SiC electronics". International Electro Devices Meeting: 225–230. doi:10.1109/IEDM.1996.553573.
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