METAL FILAMENT AND CERAMIC FIBER REINFORCED GLASS-CERAMIC MATRIX COMPOSITES

The preparation of glass-ceramic matrix composites with matrix thermal expansions, alpha, matched approximately to those of a variety of metallic filaments and ceramic fibres of diameter < 25-mu-m is reported. Preliminary data are presented giving details of the glass-ceramic compositions employed, the process conditions required in order to produce matched thermal expansion systems, and some of the properties of the resultant composites. For comparison, data are also given for some systems where alpha is not matched. The best composites exhibit mean strengths in excess of 1GPa, coupled with work of fracture values of the order of 30kJm-2.