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Comparison of ZrB2-SiC Composites Fabricated Through Reactive and Non-reactive Methods

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Abstract

Nowadays, much attention has been paid to reactive composites due to their superior mechanical properties and sintering ability compared to conventional composites. In this study, a comparative evaluation of mechanical and microstructural properties of ZrB2-SiC composites fabricated by in situ reaction of ZrO2 + B4C + SiC (ZBS) and non-reactive sintering of ZrB2-SiC (ZS) powders via the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method is investigated. The SPS process was conducted in a vacuum atmosphere and sintering temperatures of 1900 and 2000 °C for 10 min. XRD and FESEM/EDS analysis were carried out for phase characterization and microstructural studies. Bulk density, microhardness, bending strength, and K1C of the fabricated composites were compared. A high shrinkage of the ZBS sample is observed due to the reaction of raw materials, while the ZS1 and ZS2 samples indicated lower shrinkage. This reaction is confirmed by vacuum changes above 1250 °C due to the formation of B2O3 and CO gases. XRD characterizations showed the complete formation of the ZrB2-SiC composite in the ZBS sample. Microstructural studies revealed complete densification of the ZBS composite, while the presence of porosities is observed in the ZS1 sample. A high relative density of 99.8 ± 0.6%, bending strength of 983 ± 36 MPa, hardness of 23.2 ± 2 GPa, and K1C of 5.18 ± 0.63 MPa.m 0.5 were obtained for the ZBS composite, while lower values of relative density (90.5 ± 0.9%), bending strength (554 ± 28 MPa), hardness (17.3 ± 1 GPa) and K1C (3.92 ± 0.15 MPa.m 0.5) are obtained for ZS1 specimen. Increasing the sintering temperature in the ZS2 sample gave a relative density of 99.9%. But it still had weaker bending strength (703 ± 26 MPa), hardness (18.11 ± 1 GPa), and K1C (4.21 ± 0.23 MPa.m 0.5).

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Abbreviations

K1C:

Fracture toughness

ΔG:

The change in Gibbs free energy

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ceramics, Materials and Energy Research Center, Karaj, Iran

    Ali Fazili, Mahdi Shirani, Leila Nikzad & Mansour Razavi

  2. Department of Ceramic, Faculty of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

    Reza Irankhah

  3. Department of Semiconductors, Materials and Energy Research Center Karaj, Karaj, Iran

    Keivan Asadian

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  1. Ali Fazili
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Correspondence to Reza Irankhah.

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Fazili, A., Irankhah, R., Shirani, M. et al. Comparison of ZrB2-SiC Composites Fabricated Through Reactive and Non-reactive Methods. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 32, 10728–10739 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-023-07909-2

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