Development of High Temperature Resistant Materials for Use in Naval Ordnance

Work continued on the process scale-up to permit the fabrication of filament reinforced graphite composites in sizes up to 16-inch outside diameter. The vacuum chamber was constructed using stainless steel and has been received. The induction coil is being fabricated with delivery scheduled for about the middle of May. Furnace components have been scaled-up and will be available before the next report period. The scale-up furnace includes several desirable features not available in previous fabrication equipment. These include external filament storage to permit the observation of the filament feed system during fabrication, three view ports to permit the visual observation of the fabrication process inside the furnace and arrangements to permit the use of the equipment for subsequent production requirements.