Method for making fiber reinforced glass matrix composite article having selectively oriented fiber reinforcement

A method for making a fiber reinforced glass matrix composite article, comprising:

• impregnating a fiber preform with a colloidal suspension to form a colloid-impregnated fiber preform, wherein the fiber preform comprises reinforcing fibers, the reinforcing fibers are disposed in selected relative orientations, and the colloidal suspension comprises inorganic particles suspended in a continuous medium,
• cooling the colloid-impregnated fiber preform to a temperature about equal to or below the freezing point of the continuous medium to precipitate the inorganic particles and form a rigidized fiber preform,
• removing the continuous medium from the rigidized fiber preform to form a dry rigidized fiber preform,
• impregnating the dry rigidized fiber preform with heated glass matrix material to form a glass impregnated rigidized fiber preform, and
• cooling the glass impregnated rigidized fiber preform to form the fiber reinforced glass matrix composite article, wherein the fiber reinforced glass matrix composite article comprises the reinforcing fibers within a glass matrix and the reinforcing fibers substantially remain in the selected relative orientations.