Aluminosilicate fiber/mullite matrix composites with favorable high-temperature properties

Oxide-based ceramic matrix composites with a highly porous mullite matrix and Nextel™ 720 alumino silicate fibers have been fabricated by infiltrating filaments with a mullite precursor slurry, and by subsequent one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D)-winding up the fiber bundles on mandrels. The green bodies were pressureless sintered in air at 1300°C. These composites which require no fiber/matrix interface are characterized by favorable damage tolerance and bending strengths of 160 MPa at room temperature and up to temperatures of 1200°C. These properties make it an excellent low-cost choice for combustion chamber liners, diffusor rings and other thermal protection systems for high temperature applications in oxidizing environment.