Patent ID: 6277440
Filing Date: 2001-08-21
Classification: C04B

Abstract:
A method of fabricating a ceramic carbide, boride, or nitride matrix composite comprising:(a) infiltrating a porous fiber preform with a precursor composition comprising a fluid vehicle containing a non-metal-containing compound where the non-metal is selected from carbon, boron and nitrogen and a metal-containing compound where the metal is selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, and manganese and the metal-containing compound is decomposable to an oxide;(b) heating the preform sufficient to decompose the metal-containing compound to an oxide matrix and to evaporate at least a portion of the fluid vehicle;(c) sequentially repeating said infiltrating and heating steps; and(d) subjecting the infiltrated preform to a heat treatment sufficient to convert the oxide matrix to a matrix of a carbide, boride, or nitride compound comprising the metal and the non-metal.