(Dr. Jack Lackey, advisor)

"Feasibility Study of the Chemical Vapor Infiltration of Rhenium"

Abstract

The object of this research was to determine the feasibility of depositing rhenium by forced flow thermal gradient chemical vapor infiltration.  Prior research has shown that it was possible to deposit rhenium using this method.  However, little was known about how the different process variables affected the deposit.

The rhenium was deposited by sublimating rhenium pentachloride using argon as a carrier gas.  A 23 factorial experiment was conducted.  The three process variables that were investigated were preform temperature, pressure, and argon flow through the rhenium pentachloride.  Each variable was investigated at both a “high” and “low” level.  These values were obtained through experimentation and review of existing literature.  Responses that were analyzed were the weight gain of the preform, the number of preform cloth layers infiltrated with rhenium, the maximum counts per 90 seconds, and the maximum rhenium weight percent per 90 seconds.  It was determined that preform temperature was the main influence on the weight gain of the preform and that pressure and argon flow did not have a large influence.  It was also discovered that the number of preform layers infiltrated with rhenium, the maximum counts per 90 seconds, and the maximum rhenium weight percent did not have a significant relationship with temperature, pressure, or argon flow.