abstract |
An article for tooling composite materials, including a carbon foam, a sealant attached to the carbon foam so as to form a monolithic fine-grain graphite-like surface; and a skin of facesheet materials. The facesheet materials include: a spray-deposited coating of metal; more preferably, a thermal or plasma spray-deposited metal; and most preferably, a plasma sprayed Invar metal. The facesheet materials may optionally include a flash coating. The facesheet materials alternately include plastics, resinous materials and carbon-carbon composite materials. |