Aerospace Materials & Composites

Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Preform Ply Cutting & CVI Infiltration Calculator

Model fiber volume fraction ($V_f$), chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) gas diffusion, and laser kerf offsets for high-temperature SiC/SiC and C/SiC aerospace turbine preforms.

1. Input Parameters

CMC Material System

High-temperature ceramic systems for hypersonic & turbine hot sections.

Fiber Tow Filament Count

Standard Hi-Nicalon Type S is 500 filaments/tow.

Tow Cross-Sectional Area $A_{\text{tow}}$ (mm²)

Single Dry Ply Caliper $t_{\text{ply}}$ (mm)

Weave Density (Ends / Picks Per Inch)

CVI Infiltration Temperature $T$ (°C)

Inter-Fiber Pore Diameter $d_{\text{pore}}$ (µm)

Knudsen diffusion controls methyltrichlorosilane (MTS) gas penetration.

2. Calculation Results

Fiber Volume Fraction ($V_f$)

38.4 %

Knudsen Diffusion ($D_K$)

0.142 cm²/s

Min Infiltration Gap ($w_{\text{chan}}$)

21.3 µm

Laser Preform Kerf Offset

0.085 mm

3. Dynamic Visualizer & CAM Preview

4. Engineering Notes & Physics Specifications

Continuous Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) such as SiC/SiC and C/SiC require precise preform 2D ply cutting and chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) toolpath modeling.

Fiber Volume Fraction ($V_f$): V_f = (2 · EPI · A_tow) / (25.4 · t_ply). Optimal mechanical performance and matrix infiltration density occur between 35% and 42% $V_f$.
CVI Knudsen Gas Diffusion: D_K = (d_pore / 3) · √(8 R T / (π M)). As matrix deposits onto SiC filaments, pore necking slows diffusion, requiring precise gas channel spacing.
Laser & Ultrasonic Knife Vector Cutting: Ceramic dry tows fray under conventional mechanical blades. Sub-micron pulsed laser or 40 kHz ultrasonic oscillating knife toolpaths preserve edge integrity without tow pullout.

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