INNOVATIVE COMPOSITE-MATERIALS RESEARCH AT THE US-DEPARTMENT-OF-ENERGY, OFFICE-OF-ENERGY-EFFICIENCY-AND-RENEWABLE-ENERGY

In the fiscal year 1992, the U.S. Department of Energy allocated over $650 million for materials research within the Office of Energy Effici ency and Renewable Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, Office of Defense Programs and the Office of Energy Research. Within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Offic e of Industrial Technologies conducts research and development to cons erve energy in industry. Efforts include developing continuous fiber c eramic composites; processing techniques such as reactive metal infilt ration and microwave-assisted chemical vapor infiltration; mechanical and thermal property testing; modeling and designing of systems utiliz ing composite materials. Additional research efforts within the Office of Defense Programs focuses on ceramic and metal-matrix composite mat erials, polymer-bonded fiber composites and ceramic/glass composites. Although these materials and processing technologies may be engineered to meet specialized needs for nuclear weapon applications, they may b e applicable to industrial and consumer markets as well. The Office of Fossil Energy primarily focuses on materials in fossil-based environm ents including advanced fiber-reinforced ceramics and fibrous preforms . The U.S. Department of Energy will continue to support composite res earch emphasizing partnerships with industry, national laboratories an d universities to commercialize composite materials that will improve energy efficiency, productivity, and international competitiveness.