In situ toughened SiC ceramics with Al-B-C additions and oxide-coated SiC platelet/SiC composites

摘要

This work aimed at fabrication and characterization of high toughness SiC ceramics through the applications of in situ toughening and SiC platelet reinforcement. The processing-microstructure-property relations of hot pressed SiC with Al, B, and C additions (designated as ABC-SiC) were investigated. Through a liquid phase sintering mechanism, dense SiC was obtained by hot pressing at a temperature as low as 1,700 C with 3 wt% Al, 0.6 wt% B, and 2 wt% C additions. These sintering aids also enhanced the (beta)-to-(alpha) (3C-to-4H) phase transformation, which promoted SiC grains to grow into plate-like shapes. Under optimal processing conditions, the microstructure exhibited high-aspect-ratio plate-shaped grains with a thin (