A fireproof, translucent, flexible coated fabric composite materials for use in fire curtains. The composite material meets or exceeds regulatory requirements in terms of fire endurance and allows transmissivity of necessary amounts of light. The process of the present disclosure combines a silica fabric with a special refractory index controlled resin. This unique combination of materials can transform an opaque high temperature fabric into a translucent, and even transparent, composite which as the ability to resist high temperature, flame and smoke penetration that fills a needed gap in technology between visibility and fire resistance in the field of fire and smoke curtains used in civil construction.

A fiber comprises a bulk material comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of carbon, silicon, boron, silicon carbide, and boron nitride; and a metal whose affinity for oxygen is greater than the affinity for oxygen of any of the one or more materials. The metal may be selected from the group consisting of beryllium, titanium, hafnium and zirconium. At least a first portion of the metal may be present in un-oxidized form at the entrance to and/or within grain boundaries within the fiber.

A method of improving at least one of the strength, creep resistance, and toughness of a fiber comprises adding to a fiber, initially comprising a bulk material having a first affinity for oxygen, a metal that has a second affinity for oxygen higher than the first affinity. The metal may be selected from the group consisting of beryllium, titanium, hafnium and zirconium.

A device for coating one or more yarns by a vapor deposition method, the device including a treatment chamber extending along a longitudinal axis and having a treatment zone between an internal and an external circumferential wall, and within which at least one yarn is to be coated by performing a vapor deposition method; a conveyor system to transport the at least one yarn through the treatment zone; an injector device to inject a treatment gas phase into the treatment zone through an inlet orifice present in the internal or external circumferential wall; and a removal device to remove the residual gas phase from the treatment zone through an outlet orifice present in the internal or external circumferential wall, the inlet and the outlet orifice being situated in a common plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the chamber and being offset around the circumferential direction of the chamber.

A fireproof, translucent, flexible coated fabric composite material for use in fire curtains. The composite material meets or exceeds regulatory requirements in terms of fire endurance and allows transmissivity of necessary amounts of light. The process of the present disclosure combines a silica fabric with a special refractory index controlled resin. This unique combination of materials can transform an opaque high temperature fabric into a translucent, and even transparent, composite which as the ability to resist high temperature, flame and smoke penetration that fills a needed gap in technology between visibility and fire resistance in the field of fire and smoke curtains used in civil construction.

A method of forming a ceramic matrix composite includes three-dimensionally weaving a fibrous preform, the preform including a plurality of warp tows, a plurality of weft tows, and a plurality of z-fibers passing orthogonally between the plurality of warp and the plurality of weft tows. The method further includes debulking the preform, decomposing the plurality of z-fibers to form a respective plurality of z-channels in the preform, and densifying the preform with a ceramic matrix.

A method and apparatus for forming a plurality of fibers from (e.g., CVD) precursors, including a reactor adapted to grow a plurality of individual fibers; and a plurality of independently controllable lasers, each laser of the plurality of lasers growing a respective fiber. A high performance fiber (HPF) structure, including a plurality of fibers arranged in the structure; a matrix disposed between the fibers; wherein a multilayer coating is provided along the surfaces of at least some of the fibers with an inner layer region having a sheet-like strength; and an outer layer region, having a particle-like strength, such that any cracks propagating toward the outer layer from the matrix propagate along the outer layer and back into the matrix, thereby preventing the cracks from approaching the fibers. A method of forming an interphase in a ceramic matrix composite material having a plurality of SiC fibers, which maximizes toughness by minimizing fiber to fiber bridging, including arranging a plurality of SiC fibers into a preform; selectively removing (e.g., etching) silicon out of the surface of the fibers resulting in a porous carbon layer on the fibers; and replacing the porous carbon layer with an interphase layer (e.g., Boron Nitride), which coats the fibers to thereby minimize fiber to fiber bridging in the preform.

A fireproof, translucent, flexible coated fabric composite material for use in fire curtains. The composite material meets or exceeds regulatory requirements in terms of fire endurance and allows transmissivity of necessary amounts of light. The process of the present disclosure combines a silica fabric with a special refractory index controlled resin. This unique combination of materials can transform an opaque high temperature fabric into a translucent, and even transparent, composite which as the ability to resist high temperature, flame and smoke penetration that fills a needed gap in technology between visibility and fire resistance in the field of fire and smoke curtains used in civil construction.

A system for forming a braided preform includes a mandrel having a rotational axis, the mandrel being translatable along and rotatable about the rotational axis, a radial braider for winding fibers onto the mandrel to form a braided layer, an applicator for applying a polymer binder to the braided layer while mounted on the mandrel, and a debulking tool for debulking the braided layer while mounted on the mandrel.

A fiber structure includes a plurality of weft layers and a plurality of warp layers interlinked with three-dimensional or multilayer weaving, the fiber structure including at least first and second portions that are adjacent in the warp direction, the first portion presenting thickness in a direction perpendicular to the warp and weft directions that is greater than the thickness of the second portion. The weft layers situated in the core of the first portion of the fiber structure include braids. The weft layers extending on either side of the weft layers including the braids and going as far as the skin of the first portion include yarns or strands, the braids presenting a section greater than the section of the yarns or strands.

A method for producing ceramic fibers of a composition in the SiC range, starts from a spinning material that contains a polysilane-polycarbosilane copolymer solution. The spinning material is extruded through spinnerets in a dry spinning method and spun through a spinning duct into green fibers, and the green fibers are subsequently pyrolyzed. Accordingly, the polysilane-polycarbosilane solution contains between 75 wt. % and 95 wt. %, in particular between 80 and 90 wt. %, of an indifferent solvent, and the spinnerets have a capillary diameter between 20 and 70 m, in particular between 30 and 60 m, in particular between 40 and 50 m.