Effect of High Boron Additive Content on SPS-Consolidation and Properties of Commercial Silicon Carbide Powder

Abstract

Consolidation of commercial silicon carbide powder was performed by means of spark plasma sintering. It is shown that mechanical preactivation is a promising method for introducing a high content of boron additives into silicon carbide. The effect of the boron-additive amount on sintering, microstructure, and properties of the ceramic material was studied. A ceramic showing promise for use as a structural material in nuclear reactors and gas-turbine engines was obtained on the basis of silicon carbide with boron weight content 10%, density 3.12 g/cm³, hardness 31.9 GPa, and crack resistance 5.65 MPa·m^1/2.