Physicomechanical and thermophysical properties of SiC-based ceramics

Fine-grain SiC-based ceramics have been produced via infiltration of molten silicon into preforms fabricated from SiC and graphite powders, with a phenol-formaldehyde resin as a binder. The materials thus prepared have a density of 2.70–3.15 g/cm 3 , dynamic modulus of elasticity from 200 to 400 GPa, compressive strength from 800 to 1900 MPa, bending strength from 150 to 315 MPa, thermal expansion coefficient (KTE) of 4.1 × 10 −6 K −1 , and thermal conductivity of 140–150 W/(m K). Their properties are compared to those of known silicon carbide materials fabricated by other processes. The results indicate that the density and physicomechanical properties of the silicon carbide ceramics depend little on the fabrication process and are determined primarily by the SiC content. Increasing the SiC content from 20 to 99.5 wt % increases the density of the ceramics from 2.2 to 3.15 g/cm 3 and leads to an exponential rise in their physicomechanical parameters: an increase in modulus of elasticity from 95 to 430 GPa, in compressive strength from 120 to 4200 MPa, and in bending strength from 70 to 410 MPa. The thermal conductivity of the ceramics depends very little on the fabrication process, falling in the range 100–150 W/(m K) over the entire range of SiC concentrations. Their KTE decreases slightly, from 4.3 × 10 −6 to 2.4 × 10 −6 K −1 , as the SiC content increases to 99–100 wt %.