Ceramic honeycomb and method

Abstract

Conductive and/or chemically absorptive ceramic fibers are woven with optional non-conductive/non-absorptive ceramic fibers to create a fiber reinforcement which is impregnated with a ceramic-material-producing (pre-ceramic polymer) binder and heated to create the ceramic honeycomb with controlled ohmic loss and/or chemical absorption properties. The desired properties of the honeycomb material can be provided by the conductive and/absorptive ceramic fibers alone or in combination with non-fibrous or fibrous conductive and/or absorptive ceramic material provided by the binder, typically a preceramic polymer which may or may not contain dispersed ceramic materials; after the honeycomb is formed, the non-fibrous or fibrous conductive and/or absorptive ceramic material is interspersed throughout the honeycomb. By heating the impregnated fiber reinforcement in the absence of oxygen, carbon from any carbon-containing materials within the binder remain as a part of the honeycomb material. The honeycomb can be loaded with additional carbon or carbon-containing fibers by repeating the loading and heating in the absence of oxygen steps. For applications requiring long-term thermo-oxidative resistance, refractory ceramics like pure silicon carbide can be substituted for the fibers or fillers employed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.