Attachment of Small SiC Hoops to SiC-Based Ceramics and Composites

A technique for holding sensor lead wires in place on substrates made of SiC-based monolithic ceramic or SiC/SiC fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composite materials involves routing the wires through semicircular hoops that have been reaction-bonded to the substrates. These hoops are made of SiC-based materials similar or identical to the substrate materials. This technique was devised to prevent the detachment of lead wires from surface-mounted thin-film sensor systems (e.g., thermocouples and strain gauges) during testing of the substrates (panels, subcomponents, etc.) at temperatures >1,000 °C in the presence of high-speed gas flows.