• Composites Research
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.322-327
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• 2013

Carbon fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composites have good oxidation resistance and thermal shock resistance. These properties have allowed the composites to be applied to high-temperature structures. In this study, $C_f/SiC$ composites were fabricated via precursor infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process, including liquid phase infiltration and chemical vapor curing using cyclohexene. The final $C_f/SiC$ composites, which have gone through the PIP process five times, showed a density of $1.79g/cm^3$, as compared to a density of $0.43g/cm^3$ for pre-densified bare carbon fiber preform. As for the oxidation resistance characteristics, the weight of $C_f/SiC$ composite was maintained at 81% at $1400^{\circ}C$ in air for 6 hours. Chemical vapor curing (CVC) using cyclohexene has shown to be an effective method to achieve high densification, leading to increased oxidation resistance.