FABRICATION OF CLASS MATRIX COMPOSITES BY TAPE CASTING

A method has been developed to fabricate borosilicate glass matrix com posites reinforced with monofilament SIC fibers by tape casting, Green matrix tapes are laminated with fiber mats of a uniform fiber spacing . The resulting laminate is sintered at 710 degrees C to >98% relative density and HIP-consolidated to full density. The final specimens con tain a high volume fraction of fibers (>35 vol%) in a uniform array. A variation of this technique can be used to mount ''microcomposites'' (i.e., coated fibers) in a glass matrix to facilitate fabrication of p ush-out test specimens.