Ceramic matrix composite (CMC) components and methods for forming CMC components of gas turbine engines are provided. In one embodiment, a CMC component for a gas turbine engine includes an inner wall defining a first inner surface; an outer wall defining a second inner surface; and a nozzle extending from the inner wall to the outer wall. The inner wall, outer wall, and nozzle are integrally formed from a CMC material such that the inner wall, outer wall, and nozzle are a single unitary component. An exemplary method for forming a CMC component includes laying up a plurality of plies of a CMC material; processing the plurality of plies to form a green state component; firing the green state component; and densifying the fired component to produce a final unitary component. The unitary component comprises a combustor liner portion and a combustor discharge nozzle stage portion.

A hybrid sandwich ceramic matrix composite (CMC) may comprise a first facesheet, a second facesheet, and a core between and bonded to both of the first facesheet and the second facesheet. The first facesheet and the second facesheet may each include filaments in a ceramic matrix. The hybrid sandwich CMC may be configured for exposure to a thermal gradient in which the first facesheet is exposed to a higher temperature environment than the second facesheet. The first facesheet and the second facesheet may have at least closely matching coefficients of thermal expansion, and the first facesheet may have a higher compressive strength than the second facesheet.

A method for manufacturing a turbine nozzle vane made of ceramic matrix composite material, wherein the vane is manufactured using a first fibrous preform including a hollow central section intended to form a fibrous reinforcement of an airfoil of the vane to be obtained, and a pair of second fibrous preforms each having an opening with a shape of the airfoil of the vane to be obtained.

A method of preparing a ceramic fabric and ceramic matrix composite components constructed from the ceramic fabric include transforming ceramic tows, or ceramic fabrics, to varying degrees from a first tow geometry to a second tow geometry, thereby reducing a first dimension of the ceramic tows and increasing a second dimension of the ceramic tows orthogonal to the first dimension. Plies constructed with flattened tows, or as-received tows, have various inter-tow pore sizes that are arranged with increasing inter-tow pore size towards exterior surfaces of the preform structure.

A method of preparing a ceramic fabric for use in a ceramic matrix composite includes arranging a plurality of tows to form a ceramic fabric with a first inter-tow spacing, applying a binder material to the ceramic fabric, and applying pressure to the ceramic fabric to form a pressure stabilized ceramic fabric. Each of the plurality of tows of the ceramic fabric has a first thickness, and each of at least a subset of the plurality of tows of the pressure stabilized ceramic fabric has a second thickness less than the first thickness.

A method for producing a ceramic matrix composite component is disclosed. The method includes providing a plurality of first ceramic fiber plies including a plurality of interconnected tows and a plurality of first pores positioned between adjacent tows. The method includes applying a plurality of first ceramic particles within the plurality of first pores. Next, the method includes applying a plurality of second ceramic fiber plies onto an outer surface of the plurality of first ceramic fiber plies. The second ceramic fiber plies include a plurality of interconnected tows and a plurality of second pores positioned between adjacent tows. The method then includes applying a plurality of second ceramic particles within the plurality of second pores. Further, the plurality of second ceramic particles are larger than the plurality of first ceramic particles. Lastly, the method includes densifying the ceramic matrix composite preform to form the ceramic matrix composite component.

In some examples, a method including forming a layer of a slurry composition between a first ceramic or CMC part and a second ceramic or CMC part. The slurry composition includes a carrier material; and a plurality of solid particles in the carrier material. The plurality of solid particles includes first silicon carbide (SiC) particles defining a first average particle size, second SiC particles defining a second average particles size that is less than the first average particles size, and reactive additive particles. The method includes heating the layer of slurry composition to react the plurality of reactive additive particles to fuse the plurality of first SiC particles and the plurality of second SiC particles together with the reactive additive particles, wherein the fused layer of the slurry composition forms a joint layer that joins the first ceramic or CMC part to the second ceramic or CMC part.

A method of fabricating a laminar composite article, includes steps of spreading a plurality of continuous fiber tows from a spool to form a first ply layer having a substantially consistent layer thickness, applying a binder to the spread plurality of continuous fiber tows, curing the plurality of continuous fiber tows and applied binder at a cure temperature less than a thermal decomposition temperature of the binder, and processing the cured plurality of continuous fiber tows at a post-cure temperature greater than the cure temperature.

The present invention provides a novel silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide composite material, which is a composite material of SiC fibers and SiC ceramics with improved toughness, that can be produced with high yield by a relatively simple production step without complex production steps such as a step of oxidation-resistant coating or an advanced interface control step.

The silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide composite material comprising a multiphase matrix containing a silicon carbide phase and a phase comprising a substance having low reactivity with respect to silicon carbide; and silicon carbide fibers disposed in the matrix can be obtained by a production step suitable for mass production. The composite material ensures greatly improved fracture toughness while maintaining the excellent properties of SiC ceramics.

Hybrid composite materials including carbon nanotube sheets and flexible ceramic materials, and methods of making the same are provided herein. In one embodiment, a method of forming a hybrid composite material is provided, the method including: placing a layer of a first flexible ceramic composite on a lay-up tooling surface; applying a sheet of a pre-preg carbon fiber reinforced polymer on the flexible ceramic composite; curing the flexible ceramic composite and the pre-preg carbon fiber reinforced polymer sheet together to form a hybrid composite material; and removing the hybrid composite material from the lay-up tooling surface, wherein the first flexible ceramic composite comprises an exterior surface of the hybrid composite material.