Design and Verification of Hot Pressing Die for Ceramic Matrix Composite Preform

Abstract Finite element analysis method, combined with experiments, has been employed to optimize the structure of die, which would be used to fabricate the ceramic matrix composite (CMC) preform. The contact property between bodies in dies (i.e., structure I and II designed in this paper) and analysis step were firstly defined based on the characteristics of force and heat transfer in the die. Hereafter, the stress distributions in dies and stress, pressure and temperature distributions in preforms were achieved, respectively. The outcomes demonstrate that the pressure transmission of the structure II was more efficient than that of the structure I, resulting in more even pressure on the preforms. Thus, the die II (i.e., the structure II) was utilized to fabricate the ceramic matrix composite preform. In addition, the performance of the preform II fabricated by the die II was detected through X-ray computed tomography, which indicates that the preform II has a compact and uniform internal structure. Therefore, the finite element analysis method should be regarded as a potential option for design and optimization of die.