Development of a silicon carbide fibre with high tensile strength

Abstract

MUCH work has been done on preparing heat-resistant silicon carbide materials in fibrous form, since plastics or metals can be reinforced with them to obtain very heat-resistant material of great mechanical strength. SiC whiskers¹ are, however, impractical because of their shortness (several mm), their non-uniform diameter and high cost of production. SiC-on-W (ref. 2) and SiC-on-C (ref. 3) filaments have been produced by chemical vapour methods. These coated filaments are more expensive, and the treatment for making such composite materials requires careful control. We report here on the synthesis of continuous β-SiC fibres by a new process: the conversion of organometallic polymers to inorganic substances. We have studied the transformation process and the structure and mechanical properties of these fibres.