Cost-effective production and oxidation protection of CFCC's for moderate and high temperature applications

Reference	Presenter	Authors (Institution)	Abstract
14-016	Stefano Martelli	Martelli, S.(Vesuvius USA); De Bastiani, D.L.(Vesuvius USA);	Today practically everything depends on high temperature manufacturing processes that need materials able to operate at high temperature and under harsh environments. This compelling demand translates into the need of developing new components able to operate at increasingly higher temperatures, showing excellent thermal shock properties and able to survive in the most aggressive environments. Heavy pollution and related health care issues are today forcing the emerging countries, e.g. China, to implement unprecedented pollution crackdowns which inevitably reflect into the shutting down of tens of thousands of “dirty” factories, especially in the raw materials manufacturing industry with heavy impact on low cost raw materials. New technologies that reduce the usage of raw materials will play a fundamental role in the industry of the future. In this framework, long fiber reinforced ceramic composites (FCC) are interesting candidates for replacing present bulky components used in foundry and metal casting. FCC’s are outperforming the conventional materials by an order of magnitude, their introduction is helping to realize ultralight parts, dropping, at the same time the use of raw materials. Carbon fiber reinforced ceramic composites show exceptional mechanical properties, outstanding thermal shock proprieties and chemical inertness. and do represent a valuable alternative. However, the large and complicated shapes, the high fabrication cost and the fast oxidation of the carbon fibers at temperature higher than 600°C, are limiting their extensive usage. In the present contribution Vesuvius’ efforts and strategies to produce fiber composites at a lower cost without completely prejudicing the mechanical properties are shown. Oxidation resistance remains the main limitation for the high temperature use, different strategies to improve the oxidation resistance, such as coating, impregnation and multilayering with oxide fibers are presented and discussed.
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