| 摘要 |
The present invention includes one or more fibers (12) made of a ceramic, such as glass, which are each suitable for being used as a reinforcing fiber (12) in a composite product or article. Each ceramic reinforcing fiber (12) has a ceramic core (24) and one or more ceramic layers (22) disposed around the core (24). The layered structure of the present ceramic reinforcing fiber (12) improves the overall strength and fracture toughness of the fiber (12). Before a crack propagating through the outermost layer (22) can propagate through the remainder of the fiber (12), a new crack must be initiated at the pristine surface (i.e., interface) of the underlying ceramic material. When there are multiple layers (22), a new crack must be initiated and propagate through each successive layer (22) of ceramic. A ceramic fiber composite article is made by disposing a plurality of the ceramic reinforcing fibers (12) into a suitable matrix. The ceramic reinforcing fibers (12) are each made by providing a source (14) of at least one molten ceramic material, suitable for making a reinforcing fiber (12) for a composite application, and drawing molten ceramic from the source (14) through at least two openings (20) to thereby form each ceramic reinforcing fiber (12). The source (14) can be one or more bushings (32), with each bushing (32) having a plurality of tips (16) and each tip (16) having at least two nozzle (18), one nozzle inside the other. These nozzle (18) form the at least two openings (20) through which molten ceramic is drawn.
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