it is often difficult to produce complicated three dimensional parts also the uniaxial hot pressing process is typically not a high volume manufacturing process since only few samples can be pressed in a single run in pressureless sintering processes samples are heated to high temperatures without high pressure in a large volume high temperature furnace this allows the production of complex three dimensional parts in large quantities thus the development of a pressureless sintering process can lead to low cost fully dense composite parts zrc may be pressureless sintered using sintering additives for example zirconium metal the following examples show the density and flexural strength of composites wherein the consolidation was accomplished by pressureless sintering thermal stresses and associated fractures were reduced in the production of relatively crack free zrc composites further reduction of thermal stresses and degradation of the carbon fibers was achieved during consolidation this was accomplished by using hexcel uhms g carbon fiber tow it is believed that the higher elastic modulus of this fiber would help reduce the clamping forces on the fibers produced by the cte mismatch and thereby eliminate microcracks in addition the fiber architecture was varied to better distribute the residual stresses two billets were prepared using zrc 10 vol sic powder.