CHARACTERIZATION OF MATRIX MATERIALS FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF SILICON CARBIDE-BASED COMPOSITES

摘要

Silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites are enabling materials for a number of high-temperature and extreme environment applications. The development of additive manufacturing technologies for their fabrication and manufacturing are expected to increase their viability and speed up their implementation. However, in order to investigate additive manufacturing of these composites, a number of materials and process parameters have to be developed and optimized. In this study, polymer mixtures consisting of various types of SiC, Si, and C particulates along with other additives were used as fiber prepreg materials. The prepreg materials were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to observe characteristic decomposition patterns in air and nitrogen from room temperature up to 1000°C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to identify phases in samples pyrolyzed at temperatures of 700, 1000, 1200, and 1450°C. Effect of fillers, temperature, and pyrolysis conditions on the weight loss behavior and final reaction products have been studied.