Structural ceramic composites

Major recent advances: Near-stoichiometric, small-diameter SiC fibers with excellent properties are now available. A new polycrystalline oxide fiber offers significantly improved temperature limits. Oxide fiber coatings to substitute for C and BN for deflecting cracks and promoting distributed damage appear feasible. Two show substantial low-temperature plasticity in constrained loading. Properties of SiC–BN–SiC and coatingless oxide composites have been improved markedly, but combustion atmospheres have proven more problematic than thought for the former.