Modeling environmentally induced property degradation of SiC/BN/SiC ceramic matrix composites

The degradation of SiC‐based ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) in conditions typical of gas turbine engine operation proceeds via the stress rupture of fiber bundles. The degradation is accelerated when oxygen and water invade the composite through matrix microcracks and react with fiber coatings and the fibers themselves. We review micromechanical models of the main rate‐determining phenomena involved, including the diffusion of gases and reaction products through matrix microcracks, oxidation of SiC (in both matrix and fibers) leading to the loss of stiffness and strength in exposed fibers, the formation of oxide scale on SiC fiber and along matrix crack surfaces that cause the partial closure of microcracks, and the concomitant and synergistic loss of BN fiber coatings. The micromechanical models could be formulated as time‐dependent coupled differential equations in time, which must be solved dynamically, e.g., as an iterated user‐defined material element, within a finite element simulation. A paradigm is thus established for incorporating the time‐dependent evolution of local material properties according to the local environmental and stress conditions that exist within a material, in a simulation of the damage evolution of a composite component. We exemplify the calibration of typical micromechanical degradation models using thermodynamic data for the oxidation and/or volatilization of BN and SiC by oxygen and water, mechanical test data for the rate of stress rupture of SiC fibers, and kinetic data for the processes involved in gas permeation through microcracks. We discuss approaches for validating computational simulations that include the micromechanical models of environmental degradation. A special challenge is achieving validated predictions of trends with temperature, which are expected to vary in a complex manner during use.     

Improving the Anti-seizure Ability of SiC Seal in Water with RIE Texturing

The demand for higher pressure and higher speed of sealing systems is currently increasing due to stricter standards for permissible emissions. Silicon carbide (SiC) is thought to be a promising material for sealing systems operating in water, since the combination of SiC and water is both environmentally friendly and energy saving. The purpose of this study is to improve the anti-seizure ability of SiC seals working in water by means of surface texturing. The texture pattern of micro-pits evenly distributed in a square array is formed on one of the contact surfaces by reactive ion etching (RIE). Experiments which simulate the working condition of mechanical seals were carried out to evaluate the effect of micro-pits on the critical seizure load. It is found that micro-pit texturing is an effective way to stabilize friction, to reduce the friction coefficient, and to expand the low-friction range ( < 0.05) of SiC seals working in water.     

Effect of Porosity on Structure,Young's Modulus,and Thermal Conductivity of SiC Foams by Direct Foaming and Gelcasting

The study demonstrates the aqueous processing of solid‐state‐sintered SiC foams by gelcasting technique. Aside from increasing strength of green bodies, gelcasting monomers were the source of carbon additive which helped in sintering of SiC foams. Sintered foams with the relative density (RD) between 0.44 and 0.11 were processed by direct foaming of SiC slurries followed by gelcasting and sintering. Structural analysis by X‐ray tomography showed the presence of spherical pores with bimodal pore size distribution and the proportion of large size cell and their interconnectivity increased in low RD foams. SEM study revealed that decreased RD resulted in gradual changes in the strut microstructure from the grains with faceted interface to smooth interfaced grains. The analysis of changes in Young's modulus and thermal conductivity with RD were in agreement with the Ashby model for open cell foams.     

Oxidation behaviors of ZrB2–SiC binary composites above 2000 °C

Rapid oxidation testing for monolithic ZrB₂ and ZrB₂–SiC binary composites with different SiC contents (0–30 vol%) was performed using an electric heating system above 2000 °C. The system used in this study achieved the high heating rate of 250 °C/s. The experimental results showed that the morphologies of the oxidized specimens depended strongly on the SiC content. The formation mechanism of SiC-depleted layers beneath the surface scale above 2000 °C differed completely from that below 2000 °C. Although the holding time was below 10 s, SiC-depleted layers were formed because the oxygen partial pressure of the air atmosphere was not enough to form SiO₂ by the oxidation of SiC. It was determined that ZrB₂–20 vol% SiC showed the best oxidation resistance above 2000 °C at high heating rates.     

Preparation and mechanical properties of Ti3SiC2/SiC functionally graded materials

Ti₃SiC₂/SiC functionally graded materials (FGMs) were prepared via hot-pressing sintering followed by positioning impregnation. Positioning impregnation is a novel technique for local impregnation targeted at graded layers that exhibit poor sintering behaviour. The positioning impregnation process significantly densified layers with SiC volume fractions of more than 70% while only slightly affecting the densities of the other layers and preserving sufficiently weak interfaces between layers. FGMs that were hot pressed at 1600 and 1700 °C and then subjected to impregnation showed not only high flexural strengths but also zigzag load-displacement behaviour. The flexural strengths of these FGMs were 436 and 485 MPa, respectively; in comparison, the values for the FGMs without impregnation that were hot pressed at 1600, 1700 and 1800 °C were 235, 268 and 328 MPa, respectively. Moreover, the fracture toughnesses of these FGMs were 8.23 and 7.15 MPa m^1/2, respectively; in comparison, the values for the FGMs without impregnation that were hot pressed at 1600, 1700 and 1800 °C were 6.77, 7.05 and 4.65 MPa m^1/2, respectively.     

Synthesis of Si3N4/SiC reaction-bonded SiC refractories: The effects of Si/C molar ratio on microstructure and properties

Si₃N₄/SiC reaction-bonded SiC refractories have been fabricated on the basis of the microstructure design concept by introducing a binary-phases binding system. The influence of Si/C molar ratio on phase transformation, microstructure and mechanical properties was studied systematically. Thermodynamic analysis result proved the microstructure design was feasible under 0.03 MPa pressure of N₂ and the selected sintering temperature. In-situ grown SiC nano-whiskers/granule and lamellar Si₃N₄ were both observed in the matrix. The specimen with 2:1 Si/C molar ratio possessed highest cold modulus of rupture (28.27 MPa) but showed low toughness. The strength and toughness of such materials were controlled by two main factors, such as SiC grain boundary binding morphology and in situ grown of SiC in the matrix. The different mechanisms occurred predominantly to meet diverse practical cases and caused to various mechanical properties of final products. The corresponding strengthening and toughening mechanisms were explained in this paper.     

Spark plasma sintering of graphene reinforced silicon carbide ceramics

Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics have superior properties in terms of wear, corrosion, oxidation, thermal shock resistance and high temperature mechanical behavior, as well. However, they can be sintered with difficulties and have poor fracture toughness, which hinder their widespread industrial applications. In this work, SiC-based ceramics mixed with 1 wt% and 3 wt% multilayer graphene (MLG), respectively, were fabricated by solid-state spark plasma sintering (SPS) at different temperatures. We report the processing of MLG/SiC composites, study their microstructure and mechanical properties and demonstrate the influence of MLG loading on the microstructure of sintered bodies. It was found that MLG improved the mechanical properties of SiC-based composites due to formation of special microstructure. Some toughening mechanism due to MLG pull-out and crack bridging of particles was also observed. Addition of 3 wt% MLG to SiC matrix increased the Vickers hardness and Young's modulus of composite, even at a sintering temperature of 1700 °C. Furthermore, the fracture toughness increased by 20% for the 1 wt% MLG-containing composite as compared to the monolithic SiC selected for reference material. We demonstrated that the evolved 4H-SiC grains, as well as the strong interactions among the grains in the porous free matrices played an important role in the mechanical properties of sintered composite ceramics.     

Sintering behaviour of silicon carbide matrix composites reinforced with multilayer graphene

The scope of this paper includes preparation and characterisation of dense silicon carbide matrix composites reinforced with multilayer graphene (MLG). Application of graphene as a reinforcement phase should simultaneously improve mechanical properties of SiC matrix composites and act as one of the sintering activators. In the present work the mechanical properties and the microstructure changes of samples sintered with different additions of graphene (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 wt%) and boron (0.3, 1 and 2 wt%) were examined. The composites were consolidated at two different temperatures (1800 °C and 1900 °C) using the Spark Plasma Sintering method (SPS). Reference samples with the addition of graphite as a source of carbon (1 and 3 wt%) were also sintered in the same conditions. The abovementioned amounts of graphite are an optimal content which is essential to obtain high density of samples [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]. The influence of MLG on density, mechanical properties and phase structure of the sintered samples were investigated. A high rate of densification for the composites with 0.3 wt% of B and 1 wt% of MLG sintered at 1900 °C was observed. Moreover, these composites showed the highest average of microhardness (2663 HV0.5) and single-phase structure.     

Reactive melt infiltrated Cf/SiC composites with robust matrix derived from novel engineered pyrolytic carbon structure

Needle-punched C_f/SiC composites were fabricated by a novel pore tuned reactive melt infiltration (RMI) process. The novel hierarchically porous carbon structure in the fiber preform with the porosity well open to liquid silicon was engineered by impregnation of phenolic resin with addition of a pore former. Neither residual bulk carbon nor residual bulk silicon is detected in the matrix of the C_f/SiC composites prepared by the pore tuned RMI, indicating that a robust matrix with homogenous SiC can be formed. The composite prepared by the pore tuned RMI exhibits a tensile strength of 159±5 MPa, which is 46% higher than that without addition of pore former.     

Surface wetting of the C/SiC brake lining with micro-scale heat dissipation fins to cool off the brake system: Influence of the fibre ending orientation and fin interval

The micro-scale heat dissipation fins significantly contribute to cool off a brake system. However, micro-scale heat dissipation fins will change the surface wetting and then change the humidity of components in the brake system. A higher humidity is helpful for improving the thermal conductivity coefficient of the C/SiC component, which aids in further improving the cooling performance. To the best knowledge of the authors, little attention has been devoted to improving the humidity of the C/SiC brake lining by micro-scale fins. The aim of this study is mainly to discuss the surface wetting of the porous C/SiC brake lining with micro-scale heat dissipation fins to facilitate heat dissipation in the brake system by increasing the humidity. In this study, micro-scale heat dissipation fins with various intervals were fabricated by a laser on three typical C/SiC surfaces. Surface wetting was characterized by the spreading time of the water droplets. The theoretical model of the water droplet spreading time was established by a Washburn-type equation. Both the experimental and theoretical results indicated that: (1) a hydrophilic C/SiC surface could be achieved by fabricating micro-scale heat dissipation fins on a circular fibre-ending surface compared with a pillar fibre-ending surface; (2) wetting control of the C/SiC surface is not obvious by changing of the micro-fin interval on the order of micrometers; and (3) the surface wetting of the pillar fibre-ending C/SiC surface was more sensitive to increased repetitions of laser scanning. In the current stage, the experimental results presented a stochastic surface wetting. In this regard, more details on the irregularity of micro-scale heat dissipation fins resulting from a laser process are discussed. The conclusions can be extended to optimize the heat dissipation fin arrangement of the C/SiC brake lining and optimize the overall cooling performance of the brake system.