Reaction between carbon fibers and nickel through a zirconium nitride or titanium carbide diffusion barrier

Conclusions Carbon fibers in contact with nickel suffer a pronounced loss of strength at temperatures above 600°C as a result of surface attack by the nickel (at temperatures of 800–900°C and treatment times of 10–20 h) or recrystallization (during heating for more than l h at 1000°C). There is no unique correlation between fiber structure and strength. A zirconium nitride coating fails to prevent carbon fibers from reacting with nickel. A titanium carbide coating reduces, even at high temperatures, the strength loss experienced by carbon fibers by decreasing the rate of dissolution of the material of the fibers in nickel and by slowing down the fiber recrystallization process.Translated from Poroshkovaya Metallurgiya, No. 7(175), pp. 32–35, July, 1977.