A key to the successful application of metal and ceramic composite materials in advanced propulsion and power systems is the judicious selection of continuous-length fiber reinforcement. Appropriate fibers can provide these composites with the required thermomechanical performance. Lewis ' experimental focus was primarily on fiber compositions based on silicon carbide or alumina because of their oxidation resistance, low density, and high modulus. Some fiber specimens were pretreated at composite fabrication temperatures to simulate in situ composite conditions, whereas others were precoated with potential interphase and matrix materials. Research at Lewis is continuing in order to expand the data base and improve the property models, particularly for those fiber types with the most technical potential.
Symbols indicate actual data points and lines indicate predictions from property models.
Property Goals and Test Methods for High Temperature Ceramic Fiber Reinforcement. DiCarlo, J.A., et al. I, A.G. Evans and R. Naslain, eds. Creep and Rupture of Advanced Ceramic Reinforcements. High Temperature Ceramic-Matrix Composites II, A.G. Evans and R. Naslain, eds.