Cost Effective Processing of Cmc Composites by Melt Infiltration (Lsi-Process)

High performance ceramics are still largely produced via powder routes. The main disadvantage of these monolithic materials is their brittle failure behaviour and the thus dissatisfactory damage tolerance of ceramic components. The most favourable way to improve the fracture toughness of ceramics is the reinforcement with thermally stable continuous fibres. However, long manufacturing times, multiple reinfiltration steps and expensive raw materials lead to high material costs of these fibre reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMC) which have prevented their breakthrough to terrestrial applications up until now. To overcome these restrictions and widen the applicability of CMCs - in particular, to enter in fields of mechanical engineering - a novel cost efficient manufacturing route has been developed by DLR.