Effect of interface types on the heat-resistance of Cansas-II SiCf /SiC composites

The heat-resistance of the Cansas-II SiC/CVI-SiC mini-composites with a PyC and BN interface was studied in detail. The interfacial shear strength of the SiC/PyC/SiC mini-composites decreased from 15 MPa to 3 MPa after the heat treatment at 1500 °C for 50 h, while that of the SiC/BN/SiC mini-composites decreased from 248 MPa to 1 MPa, which could be mainly attributed to the improvement of the crystallization degree of the interface and the decomposition of the matrix. Aside from the above reasons, the larger declined fraction of the interfacial shear strength of the SiC/BN/SiC mini-composites might also be related to the gaps in the BN interface induced by the volatilization of B₂O₃·SiO₂ phase, leading to a significant larger declined fraction of the tensile strength of the SiC/BN/SiC mini-composites due to the obvious expansion of the critical flaws on the fiber surface. Therefore, compared with the CVI BN interface, the CVI PyC interface has better heat-resistance at high temperatures up to 1500 °C due to the fewer impurities in PyC.     

Plasma electrolytic deposition of α-Al2O3 on TiNb fibres and their mechanical properties

A novel TiNb fibre with an α-Al₂O₃ coating was fabricated by cathodic plasma electrolytic deposition (CPED), which has enormous potential for use in intermetallic matrix composites (IMMCs). This study aims to clarify the microstructural evolution of α-Al₂O₃ coatings on TiNb fibres and to systematically evaluate the mechanical properties of such modified fibres. The results revealed that the CPED process can be divided into three stages as voltage and deposition time increased: gas film formation, spark discharge, and spark fading, where the coating successively underwent local nucleation, uniform deposition, micropore self-sealing, and loose structure formation. The optimum deposition parameters of the deposition voltage of 300–400 V and deposition time of 3–4 min were determined, under which the α-Al₂O₃ coating combined tightly with the TiNb fibre matrix, micropores were completely self-sealed, and the loose structure and detrimental phase transitions in TiNb were effectively avoided. The fracture strength calculated by the Weibull method suggested that the fracture strength of the modified Al₂O₃/TiNb fibre was enhanced by more than 30%; this improved strength maintained high stability, benefiting from the intact α-Al₂O₃ ceramic coating. In particular, the fibre coated at 300 V for 4 min had the highest strength reaching 1620 MPa. The fracture morphology presented marked necking and shear lip characteristics, indicating excellent plasticity.     

Interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti3SiC2 ceramic and TC11 alloy joint diffusion bonded with a Cu interlayer

Reliable joints of Ti₃SiC₂ ceramic and TC11 alloy were diffusion bonded with a 50 μm thick Cu interlayer. The typical interfacial structure of the diffusion boned joint, which was dependent on the interdiffusion and chemical reactions between Al, Si and Ti atoms from the base materials and Cu interlayer, was TC11/α-Ti + β-Ti + Ti₂Cu + TiCu/Ti₅Si₄ + TiSiCu/Cu(s, s)/Ti₃SiC₂. The influence of bonding temperature and time on the interfacial structure and mechanical properties of Ti₃SiC₂/Cu/TC11 joint was analyzed. With the increase of bonding temperature and time, the joint shear strength was gradually increased due to enhanced atomic diffusion. However, the thickness of Ti₅Si₄ and TiSiCu layers with high microhardness increased for a long holding time, resulting in the reduction of bonding strength. The maximum shear strength of 251 ± 6 MPa was obtained for the joint diffusion bonded at 850 °C for 60 min, and fracture primarily occurred at the diffusion layer adjacent to the Ti₃SiC₂ substrate. This work provided an economical and convenient solution for broadening the engineering application of Ti₃SiC₂ ceramic.     

Enhanced mechanical properties of glass fibre epoxy composites by 2D exfoliated graphene oxide filler

Graphene oxide (GO) received a significant attention in the scientific community due to their excellent mechanical properties identifying themselves as an alternative and combinatory to various other metals and composites. Though GO possess excellent strength, it was observed from the literature that graphene oxide consisting of hydroxyl group elements ensue in poor bonding. Thus reduced functional group density (rFGD) graphene is preferred which has an advantage of good bonding, alongside very small quantity as a filler is required to achieve the enhancement equivalent to graphene oxide which forms the novelty of the current work. In current case, 3, 6 and 9 wt% of rFGD is dispersed into E-glass fibre reinforced composite by traditional hand layup technique. The obtained results revealed that, the tensile, flexural and impact strength have shown superior enhancement with 3 and 6 wt% of rGO than neat E-glass epoxy (0 wt% rGO), whereas an asymptotic decrement is noticed at 9 wt% when tested with ASTM standards except for impact strength. The microstructural studies also indicated the proper adhesion and alignment of fibres without any agglomerations corroborate the enhancement of properties. These overall finding supports the suitability of the developed laminates for potential use in structural applications in aerospace industry.     

Use of La2O3 with 8YSZ as thermal barrier coating and its effect on thermal cycle behavior,microstructure, mechanical properties and performance of diesel engine operated by hydrogen-algae biodiesel blend

In this present work, the effect of lanthanum oxides (La₂O₃) on the thermal cycle behavior of TBC coatings and mechanical properties such as adhesion strength and microhardness of 8% Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (8YSZ) TBCs were investigated. CoNiCrAlY and aluminium alloy (Al–13%Si) were used as bond coat and substrate materials. 8YSZ and different wt % of La₂O₃ (10, 20, and 30%) top coatings were applied using the atmospheric plasma spray (APS) method. The thermal cycling test for TBC coated samples were conducted at 800 °C in the electric furnace. The XRD pattern shows that the La₂O₃ doped 8YSZ material transformed to cubic pyrochloric structured La₂Zr₂O₇ during thermal cycling. Further, the Taguchi-based grey relation analysis (GRA) method was applied to optimize the TBC coating parameters to achieve better mechanical properties such as adhesion strength and microhardness. And the optimized La₂O₃/8YSZ TBC coating was coated on CRDI engine combustion chamber components. The engine was tested with microalgae biodiesel and hydrogen, and the results were promising for the TBC-coated engine. The engine performance increased while using La₂O₃/8YSZ coated components, and the emissions from engine exhaust gas such as CO, HC, and smoke reduced considerably. It was found that there was no separation crack and spallation of the coating layer in the microstructure. Ultimately, the microstructural analysis of the optimized TBC coated piston sample after 50 h of running in the diesel engine confirmed that the developed coating had a superior thermal insulation effect and longer life.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of α/β-Si3N4 composite ceramics with novel ternary additives prepared via spark plasma sintering

In this study, α/β-Si₃N₄ composite ceramics with high hardness and toughness were fabricated by adopting two different novel ternary additives, ZrN–AlN–Al₂O₃/Y₂O₃, and spark plasma sintering at 1550 °C under 40 MPa. The phase composition, microstructure, grain distribution, crack propagation process and mechanical properties of sintered bulk were investigated. Results demonstrated that the sintered α/β-Si₃N₄ composite ceramics with ZrN–AlN–Al₂O₃ contained the most α phase, which resulted in a maximum Vickers hardness of 18.41 ± 0.31 GPa. In the α/β-Si₃N₄ composite ceramics with ZrN–AlN–Y₂O₃ additives, Zr₃AlN MAX-phase and ZrO phase were found and their formation mechanisms were explained. The fracture appearance presented coarser elongated β-Si₃N₄ grains and denser microstructure when 20 wt% TiC particles were mixed into Si₃N₄ matrix, meanwhile, exhibited maximum mean grain diameter of 0.98 ± 0.24 μm. As a result, the compact α/β-Si₃N₄ composite ceramics containing ZrN–AlN–Y₂O₃ additives and TiC particles displayed the optimal bending strength and fracture toughness of 822.63 ± 28.75 MPa and 8.53 ± 0.21 MPa?m^1/2, respectively. Moreover, the synergistic toughening of rod-like β-Si₃N₄ grains and TiC reinforced particles revealed the beneficial effect on the enhanced fracture toughness of Si₃N₄ ceramic matrix.     

Enhanced thermal shrinkage behavior of phenolic-derived carbon aerogel-reinforced by HNTs with superior compressive strength performance

A novel carbon/m-HNTs composite aerogel was synthesized by introducing the modified halloysite nanotubes (m-HNTs) into phenolic (PR) aerogels through chemical grafting, followed with carbonization treatment. In order to explore the best proportion of HNTs to phenolic, the micromorphology of PR/m-HNTs were investigated by SEM before carbonization, confirming 10 wt% of m-HNTs is most beneficial to the porous network of aerogels. The interaction between PR and HNTs was studied by FTIR spectra, and microstructure evolution of the target product-carbon/m-HNTs composite aerogel were illustrated by SEM and TEM techniques. SEM patterns indicated that the carbon/m-HNTs aerogels maintain a stable porous structure at 1000 °C (carbonization temperature), while a ~20 nm carbon layer was formed around m-HNTs generating an integral unit through TEM analysis. Specific surface area and pore size distribution of composite aerogels were analyzed based on mercury intrusion porosimetry and N₂ adsorption–desorption method, the obtained results stayed around 500 m²g^?1 and 1.00 cm³g^?1 (pore volume) without significant discrepancy, compared with pure aerogel, showing the uniformity of pore size. The weight loss rate (26.76%) decreased greatly compared with pure aerogel, at the same time, the best volumetric shrinkage rate was only 30.83%, contributed by the existence of HNTs supporting the neighbor structure to avoid over-shrinking. The highest compressive strength reached to 4.43 MPa, while the data of pure aerogel was only 1.52 MPa, demonstrating the excellent mechanical property of carbon/m-HNTs aerogels.     

Effect of Zr addition on the interfacial reaction of the SiC joint brazed by Inconel 625 powder filler

Ni-based alloys are believed to be the most suitable brazing fillers for SiC ceramic application in a nuclear environment. However, graphite, which severely deteriorates the mechanical property of the joint, is inevitable when Ni reacts with SiC. In this paper, Different amounts of Zr powders are mixed with Inconel 625 powders to braze SiC at 1400 °C. When Zr addition reaches 40 wt%, the brazed seam confirms the absence of graphite. This research proves that Zr can avoid the graphite’s formation by suppressing Ni’s activity. The room-temperature shear strength of the joint with graphite’s absence is tested to be 81.97 MPa, which is almost three times higher than that of the joint with graphite. The interfacial reaction process and mechanism of the SiC joint are investigated and explained in this paper using thermodynamic calculations.     

Novel TiC-based composites with enhanced mechanical properties

Novel TiC-based composites were synthesized by reactive hot-pressing at 1800 °C for 1 h with ZrB₂ addition as a sintering aid for the first time. The effects of ZrB₂ contents on the phase composition, microstructure evolution, and mechanical properties were reported. Based on the reaction and solid solution coupling effects between ZrB₂ and TiC, the product ZrC may be partially or completely dissolved into the TiC matrix, and then phase separation within the miscibility gap is observed to form lamellar nanostructured ZrC-rich (Zr, Ti)C. The TiC-10 mol.% ZrB₂ (starting batch composition) exhibits good comprehensive mechanical properties of hardness 27.7 ± 1.3 GPa, flexural strength 659 ± 48 MPa, and fracture toughness of 6.5 ± 0.6 MPa m^1/2, respectively, which reach or exceed most TiC-based composites using ceramics as sintering aids in the previous reports.     

Effect of low temperature crystallization on 58S bioactive glass sintering and compressive strength

Mesoporous glass 58S (60SiO₂, 36CaO, 4P₂O₅ mol.%) has excellent bioactivity, biocompatibility, and forms strong bonds with bone making it attractive for implants. Mesoporous bioactive glass 58S powder is typically consolidated through sintering in order to produce an implant with sufficient strength to withstand the in vivo loads. However, heating the glass often leads to crystallinity, which is undesirable because it can reduce bioactivity. Hence, there is a trade-off between minimising crystallinity and maximising glass strength. Even at relatively low temperatures, it has been suggested that segregation of calcium and phosphate from silica within the glass can lead to crystallization. In this work, we confirm the occurrence of low temperature segregation in bioactive glass 58S using electron microscopy with elemental mapping. We probe how segregation affects the material properties of post-sintered glasses via comparison to a glass where phase separation is prevented via addition citric acid to the parent sol.