Chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) is a variant on Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). CVD implies deposition onto a surface, whereas CVI implies deposition within a body. Chemical vapor infiltration is widely used as a means of fabricating Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) such as alumina-alumina, in which a chemical vapor consisting of AlCl3-H2-CO2 is deposited onto porous alumina fibers or preforms. This process was designed and first experimented by Professor Roger Naslain from the University of Bordeaux 1 on SiC composites for aerospace applications.
