This paper presents a novel fiber spraying process for the manufacturing of short fiber bundle‐reinforced Nextel™ 610/Al2O3‐ZrO2 oxide fiber composites (SF‐OFC) and its characterization. First, the influence of varying fiber lengths (7, 14, and 28 mm, continuous fibers) and fiber orientations (unidirectional 0°, quasi‐isotropic, ±45°) was investigated using hand‐laid SF‐OFC. Due to the weak matrix, the hand‐laid material exhibited a strongly fiber‐dominated material behavior, that is, variations in fiber length and orientation had a strong influence on the material properties. Second, the automated sprayed SF‐OFC, however, exhibited a random orientation of the fiber bundles, which resulted in in‐plane isotropic material properties. Average bending strengths of up to 177 MPa, strains of .39%, and a quasi‐ductile fracture behavior were achieved. The strain was, therefore, in the range of fabric‐reinforced OFC. While the bending strength of the SF‐OFC was somewhat lower than that of fabric‐reinforced OFC with the fiber orientation parallel to the loading direction, it was more than two times higher than the strength in 45° direction relative to the fabric reinforcement. Combined with good drapability and lower material costs compared to fabric‐reinforced OFC, SF‐OFC is, therefore, a promising material for industrial applications.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.