Manufacturing properties of turbine blades of carbon fiber-reinforced SiC composite based on stereolithography

In manufacturing turbine blades of SiC ceramic-matrix composite (CMC), the hybrid technique of stereolithography-gelcasting-reaction infiltration is presented, but the control of mechanical properties and manufacturing precision of turbine blades is a technical difficulty. The paper focuses on research on the effect of carbon fiber and SiC solid content on mechanical properties and manufacturing accuracy of SiC-CMC turbine blades. The results show that with the carbon fiber content increasing, the bending strength and fracture toughness of SiC-CMC turbine blades increase. When the carbon fiber content is within 10-15 vol%, the bending strength and fracture toughness reach their maximum values of 350 MPa and 4.49 MPa · m^1/2, respectively. With the SiC solid content increasing, the shrinkage rate of turbine blades decreases, and their manufacturing accuracy is remarkably improved. The high-performance turbine blades of carbon fiber-reinforced SiC-CMC are successfully realized.