A method has been developed to produce bulk ceramic components from a class of ceramics known as polymer derived ceramics. In the past polymer derived ceramics have been limited to thin film applications or in the fabrication of MEMS devices. The reason being that when the polymer is into a ceramic, large quantities of gas are generated which produce internal pressure that fractures the ceramic components. The method developed here solves that issue by casting into the polymer a 3 dimensional network of polymer fibers in the form of a foam which, during pyrolysis, burns out and leaves a network of open channels that allows decomposition gases to escape thus preventing pressure from building up. The inclusion of the polymer foam allows for the formation of strong plastic like green bodies which can be machined into any shape. The green bodies are then pyrolized into ceramic components. This process allows for the simple and inexpensive fabrication of complex ceramic components that have the potential to replace current components that are made with traditional methods.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd-4669 |
| Date | 01 January 2008 |
| Creators | Hill, Arnold |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
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