Lecture in Materials 6: Ian Harvey "Rocket nozzle materials"

Ivan Cutler invented a process for making SiC from rice hulls, which contain an intimate mixture of carbon and silica. Wayne Brown commercialized this by making SiC whiskers, which are still used in high-speed cutting tools for Ni-based superalloys. This lecture will discuss other high-temperature materials including those used in rocket nozzles. Processing, testing and characterization of composite materials including carbon/carbon, carbon/SiC, and SiC/SiC will be the focus of the lecture.