Production of Ceramic Matrix Composites using non conventional energy sources

The research activity was focused on the production of SiC-based Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) using Microwave assisted Chemical Vapor Infiltration (MW-CVI) technology, as a sustainable and economic solution to enable the wider utilization of these materials. The experimental tests have been conducted at an innovative pilot plant, designed acting as an overmoded resonator at the frequencies of interest, where the dimensions and materials of the cavity walls were carefully selected in order to achieve a defined mode density and high fraction of microwave power dissipated in the sample. The design as well as the study of the MW-CVI reactor were supported by means of rigorous numerical modelling based on COMSOL Multiphysics software, to determine the temperature profile and heating dynamic of the sample of interest thus controlling the inside-out SiC-deposition reaction. The design of this pilot plant resulted in a robust MW heated reactor, where CMCs can be quickly heated up to the infiltration temperature with reproducible operating conditions, reduced processing times and high chemical reaction efficiencies.