Method of fabricating fiber reinforced metal tubes

A method of fabricating a fiber reinforced metal tube, comprising the steps of:

• providing a thin walled metal tube having an outside surface;
• wrapping the outside surface of said thin walled tube with a reinforcing fiber, said fiber wrapped tube having an outside diameter;
• providing a second, thick walled metal tube having an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of said fiber wrapped tube;
• inserting said fiber wrapped tube into said thick walled tube;
• expanding said fiber wrapped tube inside said thick walled tube with hot isostatic pressure to consolidate said reinforcing fiber, thereby forming the fiber reinforced metal tube.

A method of fabricating a fiber reinforced copper tube, comprising the steps of:

• providing a thin walled copper tube having an outside surface;
• wrapping the outside surface of said thin walled tube with copper coated graphite fibers, said fiber wrapped tube having an outside diameter;
• providing a second, thick walled copper tube having an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of said fiber wrapped tube;
• inserting said fiber wrapped tube into said thick walled tube;
• forming a vacuum in a space between said thin walled tube and said thick walled tube;
• expanding said fiber wrapped tube inside said thick walled tube with hot isostatic pressure to consolidate said copper coated graphite fibers, thereby forming the fiber reinforced copper tube.