Chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) is a ceramic engineering process.
It involves infiltrating matrix material into fibrous preforms to create fiber-reinforced composites.
This process utilizes reactive gases at elevated temperatures to achieve the desired infiltration.
7 Steps Explained
1. Preform Preparation
A fibrous preform is first prepared.
This serves as the base material for the composite.
The preform is typically made of ceramic fibers arranged in a specific pattern or orientation.
2. Reactant Gas Generation
Reactive gases are generated.
This often happens through the thermal decomposition or reaction of precursor gases.
These reactive gases will react with the surface of the preform to form the desired matrix material.
3. Gas Transport
The generated reactive gases are transported to the surface of the preform.
This can be achieved through the use of carrier gases or by controlling the pressure and flow of the gases.
4. Adsorption and Reaction
The reactive gases adsorb onto the surface of the preform.
They undergo heterogeneous surface-catalyzed reactions.
This leads to the deposition of the desired matrix material onto the fibers of the preform.
5. Surface Diffusion
The deposited matrix material undergoes surface diffusion.
It spreads and infiltrates into the spaces between the fibers of the preform.
This diffusion process continues until the desired level of infiltration is achieved.
6. Nucleation and Growth
As the matrix material infiltrates the preform, it undergoes nucleation and growth.
This forms a continuous and uniform coating or matrix within the preform.
This coating strengthens and reinforces the fibers, resulting in a fiber-reinforced composite.
7. Desorption and Product Removal
Throughout the process, gaseous reaction products are continuously desorbed from the surface of the preform.
These reaction products are transported away from the surface.
This ensures the proper chemical conversion and removal of any byproducts.
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