Beschreibung
Utilization of titanium matrix composites is limited due to their high production costs even though they exhibit exceptional mechanical properties and light weight suitable for aerospace applications. Matrix-coated-fibre (MCF) is currently the best production method in terms of product quality and volume. It employs magnetron sputtering as coating process of single fibres that accounts for two-thirds of the total costs. A possible innovative route for this step is using electrolytical deposition of Ti-6Al-4V alloy on SiC fibres that would reduce the production costs significantly.
This thesis illustrates the investigation of the electrochemical behaviour of Ti-, Al- and V anodes and the possibility of their ions with low valence to be brought into an eutectic mixture of LiCl –KCl by anodic polarization. Furthermore soluble metallic anodes were used for their beneficial environmental impact compared to inert anode, preventing chlorine evolution.
Generally speaking, the dissolution is possible, but these processes were followed by concurrent and parasitic reactions, formations of passivating layers and complexes, evaporation, grain detachment and strong corrosion all leading to reduced current efficiencies and or control difficulties. Those findings confirm complexity of multicomponent systems, especially those dealing with elements having multiple valences. Even with those challenges an electrolytic fibre coating process has the potential to be more profitable than state-of-the-art process (MCF method). These economical benefits can be further increased, since it has been shown that the dissolution can be improved by changing the anode morphology.
