Coating SiC Fiber Tows With Polymer/Silicon Slurries

The figure schematically illustrates an apparatus and process in which a continuous tow of silicon carbide fibers is coated and infiltrated with a polymer/silicon slurry. A compact of such coated, infiltrated fiber tows is subsequently heated to a temperature > 1,200 °C in nitrogen to convert it to one of a variety of materials, denoted generally as "SiC/RBSN," that are composites of silicon carbide fibers in reaction-bonded silicon nitride matrices. SiC/RBSN composites are candidates for use in structural components for some high-temperature applications.