Fiber reinforced laminated ceramic composites and method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to an article having improved physical properties as compared to the individual components, which article comprises: a laminated ceramic fiber composite of alternating layers of discrete thin solid sheets of ceramic A having a substantially large upper and lower surface bonded to discrete thin sheets B comprising fibers and having large upper and lower surfaces using a suitable bonding agent. A method is disclosed to produce as laminated fiber-ceramic composite, which comprises: (a) obtaining discrete preformed thin solid sheets of ceramic A having a substantially large upper and lower surface and thin edge surfaces: (b) obtaining discrete preformed thin solid sheets B comprising a fiber having large upper and lower surfaces and thin edge surface, wherein the sheet of fibers are either obtained in a matrix of a suitable bonding agent, or a suitable bonding agent is added in amounts effective to bond to the upper and lower surface of the ceramic sheet and to the upper and lower surface of the sheet of fiber; (c) alternately layering at least two ceramic sheets of step (a) with at least one fiber sheet of step (b) having a minimum A-B-A pattern or in a repeating A-B pattern optionally terminating in a ceramic sheet A; and (d) bonding the laminated sheets of step (c) producing an alternating laminar fiber reinforced ceramic composite. These laminated fiber ceramics are useful in situations involving high impact loads.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.