High toughness reaction bonded composites

M Cubed manufactures many commercial components out of reaction bonded SiC and B4C on a large scale. The key advantages of these materials are high specific stiffness (high modulus and low density) and high thermal stability (high thermal conductivity and low CTE). However, these materials have limited toughness precluding their use in many potential applications including some missile defense components which need Be replacement. M Cubed proposes an innovative modification of these materials to impart them high toughness. In the Phase I program, M Cubed has teamed up with a major MDA prime contractor and a leading University to prove the feasibility of the proposed toughening approach. In this program, the toughness enhancement will be demonstrated first. Next, a subscale demonstration component will be fabricated for characterization by the MDA prime contractor.