Carbon yielding resin for melt infiltration

1. A method for forming a ceramic matrix composite from a melt infiltrated and melt extracted preform that has residual silicon within open pore channels therein, the method comprising:

introducing a carbon yielding resin into the open pore channels;

heating the preform to produce elemental carbon from the carbon yielding resin within the open pore channels;

thereafter, further heating the elemental carbon to react with the residual silicon to form SiC within the open pore channels to form the ceramic matrix composite, wherein an excess stoichiometric amount of elemental carbon is formed compared to the residual silicon; and

thereafter, melt infiltrating silicon to react with the excess stoichiometric amount of elemental carbon of the ceramic to form a dense SiC within the pore channels.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon yielding resin comprises a crosslinkable polymeric material.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the crosslinkable polymeric material comprises a polyester, a vinyl ester, a furfuryl alcohol based polymer, an epoxy, or a mixture thereof.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein heating the preform to produce elemental carbon from the carbon yielding resin within the open pore channels, comprises:

heating the preform to a crosslinking temperature such that the carbon yielding resin is crosslinked within the open pore channels, wherein the crosslinking temperature is about 100° C. to about 250° C.; and

thereafter, heating the preform to a char temperature such that the crosslinked carbon yielding resin produces the elemental carbon and reacts with the residual silicon within the open pore channels, wherein the char temperature is about 1315° C. to about 1500° C.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the char temperature is about 1414° C. to about 1500° C.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the char temperature is about 1315° C. to about 1400° C. such that solid state reaction occurs between the elemental carbon and the residual silicon.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the carbon yielding resin further comprises a solvent.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the introducing the carbon yielding resin into the open pore channels is performed at a pressure of about 0.001 Torr to less than 1 Torr.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon yielding resin comprises a plurality of carbon particles.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of carbon particles have an average diameter that is smaller than a pore size of the open pore channels.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon yielding resin is introduced as a liquid, and wherein the carbon yielding resin is introduced at a temperature of about 20° C. to about 100° C.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to introducing the carbon yielding resin into the open pore channels:

melt infiltrating silicon into the preform such that the silicon reacts with carbon in the ceramic matrix composite to form SiC grains, wherein melt infiltrating is performed at a melt infiltration temperature of about 1414° C. to about 1500° C.; and

melt extracting to remove at least a portion of unreacted silicon from the preform to open pore channels while leaving residual silicon therein.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preform comprises fibers having an average fiber diameter that is about 200 μm to about 500 μm.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the pore channels have a size range that is about 0.5 μm to about 1 mm.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the pore channels have a size range that is about 0.5 μm to about 500 μm.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic matrix composite preform comprises SiC fibers dispersed within a ceramic matrix, and wherein the ceramix matrix comprises SiC.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the SiC fibers have a coating thereon, wherein the coating comprises BN.