Preparation and properties of porous silicon carbide ceramics through coat-mix and composite additives process

The core-shell structure silicon-resin precursor powders were synthesized through coat-mix process and addition of Al2O3-SiO2-Y2O3 composite additives.A series of porous silicon carbide ceramics were produced after molding,carbonization and sintering.The phase,morphology,porosity,thermal conductivity,thermal expansion coefficient,and thermal shock resistance were analyzed.The results show that porous silicon carbide ceramics can be produced at low temperature.The grain size of porous silicon carbide ceramic is small,and the thermal conductivity is enhanced significantly.Composite additives also improve the thermal shock resistance of porous ceramics.The bending strength loss rate after 30 times of thermal shock test of the porous ceramics which were added Al2O3-SiO2-Y2O3 and sintered at 1 650 ℃ is only 6.5%.Moreover,the pore inside of the sample is smooth,and the pore size distribution is uniform.Composite additives make little effect on the thermal expansion coefficient of the porous silicon carbide ceramics.

Influence of pyrolysis temperature on structure and dielectric properties of polycarbosilane derived silicon carbide ceramic

β-SiC ceramic powders were obtained by pyrolyzing polycarbosilane in vacuum at 800-1200 °C. The β-SiC ceramic powders were characterized by TGA/DSC, XRD and Raman spectroscopy. The dielectric properties of β-SiC ceramic powders were investigated by measuring their complex permittivity by rectangle wave guide method in the frequency range of 8.2-18 GHz. The results show that both real part ε′ and imaginary part ε″ of complex permittivity increase with increasing pyrolysis temperature. The mechanism was proposed that order carbon formed at high temperature resulted in electron relaxation polarization and conductance loss, which contributes to the increase in complex permittivity.

Machining studies of die cast aluminum alloy-silicon carbide composites

Metal matrix composites （MMCs） with high specific stiffness, high strength, improved wear resistance, and thermal properties are being increasingly used in advanced structural, aerospace, automotive, electronics, and wear applications. Aluminum alloy-silicon carbide composites were developed using a new combination of the vortex method and the pressure die-casting technique in the present work. Machining studies were conducted on the aluminum alloy-silicon carbide （SiC） composite work pieces using high speed steel （HSS） end-mill tools in a milling machine at different speeds and feeds. The quantitative studies on the machined work piece show that the surface finish is better for higher speeds and lower feeds. The surface roughness of the plain aluminum alloy is better than that of the aluminum alloy-silicon carbide composites. The studies on tool wear show that flank wear increases with speed and feed. The end-mill tool wear is higher on machining the aluminum alloy-silicon carbide composites than on machining the plain aluminum alloy.

Dielectric properties of spark plasma sintered AlN/SiC composite ceramics

In this study, we have investigated how the dielectric loss tangent and permittivity of AlN ceramics are affected by factors such as powder mixing methods, milling time, sintering temperature, and the addition of a second conductive phase. All ceramic samples were pre-pared by spark plasma sintering （SPS） under a pressure of 30 MPa. AlN composite ceramics sintered with 30wt%-40wt%SiC at 1600℃ for 5 min exhibited the best dielectric loss tangent, which is greater than 0.3. In addition to AlN and β-SiC, the samples also contained 2H-SiC and Fe5Si3, as detected by X-ray difraction （XRD）. The relative densities of the sintered ceramics were higher than 93%. Experimental results indicate that nano-SiC has a strong capability of absorbing electromagnetic waves. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of AlN-SiC ce-ramics with the same content of SiC decreased as the frequency of electromagnetic waves increased from 1 kHz to 1 MHz.

Influence of Carbon Content on Element Diffusion in Silicon Carbide-Based TRISO Composite Fuel

The coating layers of Tri-structural Isotropic Particles(TRISO)serve to protect the kernel and act as barriers to fission products.Sintering aids in the silicon carbide matrix variably react with TRISO coating layers,leading to the destruction of the coating layers.Investigating how carbon content affects element diffusion in silicon carbide-based TRISO composite fuel is of great significance for predicting reactor safety.In this study,silicon carbide-based TRISO composite fuels with different carbon contents were prepared by adding varying amounts of phenolic resin to the silicon carbide matrix.X-ray Diffraction(XRD)and Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM)were employed to characterize the phase composition,morphology,and microstructure of the composite fuels.The elemental content in each coating layer of TRISO was quantified using Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy(EDS).The results demonstrated that the addition of phenolic resin promoted the uniform distribution of sintering aids in the silicon carbide matrix.The atomic percentage(at.%)of aluminum(Al)in the pyrolytic carbon layer of the TRISO particles reached its lowest value of 0.55%when the phenolic resin addition was 1%.This is because the addition of phenolic resin caused the Al and silicon(Si)in the matrix to preferentially react with the carbon in the phenolic resin to form a metastable liquid phase,rather than preferentially consuming the pyrolytic carbon in the outer coating layer of the TRISO particles.The findings suggest that carbon addition through phenolic resin incorporation can effectively mitigate the deleterious reactions between the TRISO coating layers and sintering aids,thereby enhancing the durability and safety of silicon carbide-based TRISO composite fuels.

Fabrication and densification enhancement of SiC-particulate-reinforced copper matrix composites prepared via the sinter-forging process

The fabrication of copper （Cu） and copper matrix silicon carbide （Cu/SiCp） particulate composites via the sinter-forging process was investigated. Sintering and sinter-forging processes were performed under an inert Ar atmosphere. The influence of sinter-forging time, temperature, and compressive stress on the relative density and hardness of the prepared samples was systematically investigated and subsequently compared with that of the samples prepared by the conventional sintering process. The relative density and hardness of the composites were enhanced when they were prepared by the sinter-forging process. The relative density values of all Cu/SiCp composite samples were observed to decrease with the increase in SiC content.

Fabrication of solid-phase-sintered Si C-based composites with short carbon fibers

Solid-phase-sintered Si C-based composites with short carbon fibers（Csf/SSi C） in concentrations ranging from 0 to 10wt% were prepared by pressureless sintering at 2100°C. The phase composition, microstructure, density, and flexural strength of the composites with different Csf contents were investigated. SEM micrographs showed that the Csf distributed in the SSi C matrix homogeneously with some gaps at the fiber/matrix interfaces. The densities of the composites decreased with increasing Csf content. However, the bending strength first increased and then decreased with increasing Csf content, reaching a maximum value of 390 MPa at a Csf content of 5wt%, which was 60 MPa higher than that of SSi C because of the pull-out strengthening mechanism. Notably, Csf was graphitized and damaged during the sintering process because of the high temperature and reaction with boron derived from the sintering additive B4C; this graphitization degraded the fiber strengthening effect.

Behavior of pure and modified carbon/carbon composites in atomic oxygen environment

Atomic oxygen （AO） is considered the most erosive particle to spacecraft materials in low earth orbit （LEO）. Carbon fiber, car-bon/carbon （C/C）, and some modified C/C composites were exposed to a simulated AO environment to investigate their behaviors in LEO. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, AO erosion rate calculation, and mechanical property testing were used to characterize the material properties. Results show that the carbon fiber and C/C specimens undergo significant degradation under the AO bombing. According to the effects of AO on C/C-SiC and CVD-SiC-coated C/C, a condensed CVD-SiC coat is a feasible approach to protect C/C composites from AO degradation.

Enhanced thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of 2D C_(f)/SiC composites modified by in-situ grown carbon nanotubes

In this work,the effects of carbon nanotubes(CNTs)on the microstructure evolution,thermal conductivity,and mechanical properties of C_(f)/SiC composites during chemical vapor infiltration(CVI)densification were investigated in detail.Compared with composites without CNTs,the thermal conductivity,flexural strength,flexural modulus,fracture toughness,interfacial shear strength,and proportional limit stress of specimens with CNTs of 4.94 wt%were improved by 117%,21.8%,67.4%,10.3%,36.4%,and 71.1%,respectively.This improvement was attributed to the role of CNTs in the division of inter-layer pores,which provided abundant vapor growth sites for the ceramic matrix and promoted densification of the whole composite.In addition,the high thermal conductivity network formed by the overlap of CNTs and the rivet strengthening effect of CNTs were beneficial for synergistic improvement of thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of the composites.Therefore,this study has practical significance for the development of thermal protection composite components with enhanced thermal conductivity and mechanical characteristics.

Mechanical and microstructural characterization of Al7075/SiC nanocomposites fabricated by dynamic compaction

This paper describes the synthesis of Al7075 metal matrix composites reinforced with SiC, and the characterization of their microstructure and mechanical behavior. The mechanically milled Al7075 micron-sized powder and SiC nanoparticles are dynamically compacted using a drop hammer device. This compaction is performed at different temperatures and for various volume fractions of SiC nanoparticles. The relative density is directly related to the compaction temperature rise and indirectly related to the content of SiC nanoparticle reinforcement, respectively. Furthermore, increasing the amount of SiC nanoparticles improves the strength, stiffness, and hardness of the compacted specimens. The increase in hardness and strength may be attributed to the inherent hardness of the nanoparticles, and other phenomena such as thermal mismatch and crack shielding. Nevertheless, clustering of the nanoparticles at aluminum particle boundaries make these regions become a source of concentrated stress, which reduces the load carrying capacity of the compacted nanocomposite.

Effect of Al2O3sf addition on the friction and wear properties of (SiCp+Al2O3sf)/Al2024 composites fabricated by pressure infiltration

Aluminum(Al) 2024 matrix composites reinforced with alumina short fibers(Al_2O_(3sf)) and silicon carbide particles(SiC_p) as wear-resistant materials were prepared by pressure infiltration in this study. Further, the effect of Al_2O_(3sf) on the friction and wear properties of the as-synthesized composites was systematically investigated, and the relationship between volume fraction and wear mechanism was discussed. The results showed that the addition of Al_2O_(3sf), characterized by the ratio of Al_2O_(3sf) to SiC_p, significantly affected the properties of the composites and resulted in changes in wear mechanisms. When the volume ratio of Al_2O_(3sf) to SiC_p was increased from 0 to 1, the rate of wear mass loss(K_m) and coefficients of friction(COFs) of the composites decreased, and the wear mechanisms were abrasive wear and furrow wear. When the volume ratio was increased from 1 to 3, the COF decreased continuously; however, the K_m increased rapidly and the wear mechanism became adhesive wear.

C/Ti/Cu interfacial reaction in SiCf/Cu composites

Continuous SiC fiber reinforced copper matrix （SiC~/Cu） composites were prepared by fiber coating method, and Ti6A14V interlayer was introduced as an interfacial modification coating to improve the interfacial bonding strength. The interfacial reaction characteristics were investigated by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results show that nearly all the titanium atoms reacted with the carbon coating of SiC fibers to form two layers of TiC. Also, a thin copper layer that is sandwiched between these two layers was detected. No Ti-Cu interfacial reaction product was observed. The formation process of the interfacial reaction along with its mechanism was discussed.

Effect of graphite powder as a forming filler on the mechanical properties of SiCp/Al composites by pressure infiltration

（38vo1% SiCp ＋ 2vo1% A1203f）/2024 A1 composites were fabricated by pressure infiltration. Graphite powder was introduced as a forming filler in preform preparation, and the effects of the powder size on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the final com- posites were investigated. The results showed that the composite with 15 μm graphite powder as a forming filler had the maximum tensile strength of 506 MPa, maximum yield strength of 489 MPa, and maximum elongation of 1.2%, which decreased to 490 MPa, 430 MPa, and 0.4%, respectively, on increasing the graphite powder size from 15 to 60 μm. The composite with 60 μm graphite powder showed the highest elastic modulus, and the value decreased from 129 to 113 GPa on decreasing the graphite powder size from 60 to 15 μm. The differences between these properties are related to the different microstructures of the corresponding composites, which determine their failure modes.

STUDY ON THE SiC_p./Al-ALLOY COMPOSITE AUTOMOTIVE BRAKE ROTORS

The SiCp/Al-alloy composite front brake rotors designed for Shanghai Santana cars were prepared by semi-solid stirring+liquid forging process. The composite brake rotors were subjected to dynamometer tests on a SCHENCK brake testing system, referring to TL110 standard of VOLKSWAGEN Co. The friction coefficient and thermal response during fade testing and the wear performance of the composite rotors were studied as the functions of various parameters such as braking pressures, initial speeds, initial temperatures, torque and decelerations, and were compared with those of conventional cast iron rotors. The results show that the properties of the composite rotors can achieve the requirements of commercial cast iron rotors. The results also show that the friction coefficients of the composite rotors under different braking conditions are within the deviation band specified by the TL110 standard, and the temperature rise of composite rotors is lower than that of cast iron rotors at the end of each fade stop. The wear resistance of composite rotors is higher than that of cast iron rotors. The friction mechanism and wear mechanism were analyzed.

Mechanical properties and friction behaviors of CNT/AlSi_(10)Mg composites produced by spark plasma sintering

The mechanical properties and friction behaviors of CNT/AlSi10Mg composites produced by spark plasma sintering (SPS) were investigated. The results showed that the densities of the sintered composites gradually increased with increasing sintering temperature and that the highest microhardness and compressive strength were achieved in the specimen sintered at 450A degrees C. CNTs dispersed uniformly in the Al-Si10Mg matrix when the addition of CNTs was less than 1.5wt%. However, when the addition of CNTs exceeded 1.5wt%, the aggregation of CNTs was clearly observed. Moreover, the mechanical properties (including the densities, compressive strength, and microhardness) of the composites changed with CNT content and reached a maximum value when the CNT content was 1.5wt%. Meanwhile, the minimum average friction coefficient and wear rate of the CNT/AlSi10Mg composites were obtained with 1.0wt% CNTs.

Influences of ZrO_2-SiC Composite Powder and Commercial SiC on Properties of Al_2O_3-C Refractories

In order to improve oxidation resistance and ther- mal shock resistance of Al2O3-C refractories, two groups of specimens were prepared with phenolic resin as binder, adding 0, 2 wt% , 4 wt% and 6 wt% commercial SiC or ZrO2-SiC composite powder synthesized from zircon respectively to Al2O3- C refractories, pressing at 200 MPa, drying fully at 250℃, and then carbon embedded firing at 1400℃ for 2 h. Oxidation resistance and thermal shock resistance were researched, phase composition was analyzed by XRD. The results showed that the oxidation of SiC in additives could protect carbon in specimens effectively and thus decreased the mass loss ratio and oxidation area, and improved the oxidation resistance of the specimen. Thermal shock resistance was improved owing to the micro crack toughening of ZrO2 and grain toughening of SiC. In this experiment, the specimens with 6 wt% ZrO2 -SiC composite powder or 6 wt% SiC powder had the best oxidation resistance and thermal shock resistance.

A novel approach for manufacturing of layered,ultra-refractory composites using pliable,short fibre-reinforced ceramic sheets

A new additive technique for manufacturing of short fibre-reinforced ultra-refractory ceramics is presented.This technique allows the fabrication of solvent-free,thin(~100µm),flexible,and easy-to-handle sheets suitable for fabricating homogeneous or layered structures.A large range of compositions,in terms of matrix and fibre volumetric contents,from 0%to 100%is possible.The amount of short carbon fibres incorporated in the sheets ranged from 20 to 50 vol%,whereas the fibre length ranged from 3 to 5 mm.The matrix composition investigated with this technique consisted of ZrB_(2)/SiC/Y_(2)O_(3).By increasing the fibre amount from 35 to 50 vol%,an improvement of mechanical properties was observed.Four-point flexural strength(σ)ranged from 107 to 140 MPa,depending on the amount of carbon fibres(Cf).The same holds true for the work of fracture,ranging from 108 to 253 J/m^(2).Functionally graded composites were fabricated by overlapping sheets with a fibre gradient(0%-50%).

Si_(3)N_(4)nanowires@pyrolytic carbon nanolayers coupled withhydroxyapatite nanosheets as reinforcement for carbon matrixcomposites with boosting mechanical and friction properties

Extensive attention has been drawn to the development of carbon-matrix composites for application in the aerospace and military industry,where a combination of high mechanical strength and excellent frictional properties are required.Herein,carbon-matrix composites reinforced by Si_(3)N_(4)nanowires@pyrolytic carbon nanolayers(Si_(3)N_(4nws)@PyCnls)coupled with hydroxyapatite nanosheets is reported.The Si_(3)N_(4nws)@PyCnls(SP)with coaxial structure could increase the surface roughness of Si_(3)N_(4nws)and promote the stress transfer to the carbon matrix,whereas the porous hydroxyapatite nanosheets favor the infiltration of the carbon matrix and promote the interfacial bonding between the SP and carbon matrix.The carbon matrix composites reinforced by SP coupled with hydroxyapatite nanosheets(Si_(3)N_(4nws)@PyCnls-HA-C)exhibit excellent mechanical strength.Compare with the conventional Si_(3)N_(4nws)reinforced carbon composites,Si_(3)N_(4nws)@PyCnls-HA-C(SPHC)have 162%and 249%improvement in flexural strength and elastic modulus,respectively.Moreover,the friction coefficient and wear rate decreased by 53%and 23%,respectively.This study provides a co-reinforcement strategy generated by SP coupled with hydroxyapatite nanosheets for effective improvement of mechanical and frictional properties of carbon matrix composites that are used for aerospace and military industry applications.

Effect of Al_2O_3-SiC Composite Powder on Properties of Al_2O_3-SiC一C Bricks

Al2O3-SiC-C specimens were prepared using white fused corundum （3-1,≤1 and ≤0.044 mm）,Al2O3-SiC composite powders （d50 ≤ 5 μm）,α-Al2O3 micropowder （d50 =1.2 μm）,SiC powder （≤ 0.044 mm）,flake graphite （≤ 0.088 mm）,Si powder （d50 =42.8 μm） and B4C powder （d50 ≤10 μm） as main starting materials,and thermosetting phenolic resin as binder.4%,8%,12% and 16% （in mass,the same hereinafter） of Al2O3-SiC composite powders substituted the same quantity of α-Al2O3 micropowder ＋ SiC powder.Effects of composite powder additions on apparent porosity,bulk density,cold modulus of rupture,cold crushing strength,hot modulus of rupture （1 400 ℃）,thermal shock resistance （1 100 ℃,water quenching） and oxidation resistance （1 000 and 1 500 ℃） of Al2O3-SiC -C specimens after 180 ℃ curing,1 000 ℃ 3 h carbon-embedded firing and 1 500 ℃ 3 h carbon-embedded firing,respectively,were researched.The results indicate that：（1） with the increase of Al2O3-SiC composite powder,cold strengths of the cured specimens decline,those of the specimens fired at 1 000 ℃ change a little,and those of the specimens fired at 1 500 ℃ change a little except for an obvious improvement of cold crushing strength ; （2） with the increase of Al2O3-SiC composite powder,hot modulus of rupture at 1 400 ℃ decreases and thermal shock resistance enhances significantly; （3） when Al2O3-SiC composite powder addition is 4%,the oxidation resistance at 1 500 ℃ is the best,and the reason may be the composite powder is finer and more active,which is beneficial to form dense mullite protective layer to retard the O2 diffusion into the specimens.

Mechanical properties of C_f/Si-O-C composites prepared by hot-pressing assisted pyrolysis of polysiloxane

Silicon oxycarbide composites reinforced by three-dimensional braided carbon fiber （3D-B Cf/Si-O-C） were fabricated via precursor infiltration and pyrolysis of polysiloxane, and the effects of processing variables on mechanical properties and microstructures of 3D-B Cf/Si-O-C composites were investigated. It is found that the mechanical properties and densities of 3D-B Cf/Si-O-C composites can be increased if the first pyrolysis cycle is assisted by hot-pressing. Pyrolysis temperature has great effects on mechanical properties and microstructures of 3D-B Cf/Si-O-C composites. The composite, which is hot-pressed at 1 600 ℃ for 5 min with pressure of 10 MPa in the first pyrolysis cycle, exhibits high mechanical properties: bending strength 502 MPa and fracture toughness 23.7 MPa·m1/2. The high mechanical properties are mainly attributed to desirable interfacial structure and high density.