Advanced Ceramics Progress

Advanced Ceramics Progress

The Effect of TiC Additive with Al2O3-Y2O3 on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of SiC Matrix Composites

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors
M. Khodaei 1
O. Yaghobizadeh 2
S. A. Safavi 1
N. Ehsani 1
H. R. Baharvandi 1
S. Esmaeeli 3
1 Composite Materials & Technology Center, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Technology and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University (IKIU), Qazvin, Iran
3 Department of Ceramic, Shahreza Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahreza, Iran
10.30501/acp.2020.109546
Abstract
In this research, the SiC-matrix composite with different amounts of TiC (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt%) supplemented with additives including 4.3 wt% Al2O3 and 5.7 wt% Y2O3 were utilized to initiate the required liquid phase. The sintering process was performed using pressureless sintering at      1900 °C for 1.5 hours under argon atmosphere. The composition and microstructure of the obtained composites were analyzed using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX). The results showed that TiC additives improved the densification of samples and impeded the growth of SiC grains. According to the phase analysis, the SiC was the main phase, while the TiC and YAG were characterized as partial phases. Additionally, due to the reaction of TiC and Al2O3, the composition of the liquid phase contained YAG and YAM. Assessments revealed that the microstructure and the final properties of composites were affected by density, produced phases and their distribution in the matrix, and grain size. According to the results, upon increasing the TiC up to 5 wt%, all the measured properties including density, hardness, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness improved and reached 97.40%, 26.73 GPa, 392 GPa, and 5.80 MPa.m1/2, respectively. However, with increasing the additives to more than 5 wt%, these properties deteriorated. Microscopic evaluations revealed that crack deflection and crack bridging mechanisms contributed to the fracture toughness of SiC ceramics.
Keywords
Pressureless Sintering
SiC-TiC
Liquid-Phase Sintering
Toughness Mechanisms
Mechanical Properties
Subjects

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  • Receive Date 23 April 2020
  • Revise Date 14 June 2020
  • Accept Date 20 June 2020