Fabrication of Co‐Toughened C‐SiC Based Composite by Carbon Fibers and SiC Nanofibers

This chapter discusses the fabrication of co-toughened C-SiC-based composite using carbon fibers and SiC nanofibers in an experiment. The chapter explains how carbon fibers and silicon carbide fibers are mainly used as the reinforcements to improve the toughness of ceramics by decreasing the sensitivity of cracks and delaying the transformation of cracks. The SiC nanofibers were introduced into the space among carbon fibers by in-situ growth to form co-toughened preform for reinforcing the C-SiC-based composites in the experiment. The microstructure and growth mechanism were examined, including the influence of SiC nanofibers on the microstructure of C-SiC-based composites. The results indicate that SiC nanofibers and carbon fibers can form an effectively co-toughened structure, which presents a potentiality to enhance the mechanical properties of composites.