Low-Temperature Synthesis of Boron Carbide Ceramics

Abstract

This study has been the first to demonstrate the possibility of producing boron carbide ceramics from coarse (D = 25–150 μm) B4C powder (which is impossible to sinter by conventional methods) through infiltration with molten silicon and subsequent treatment within the field of the controlled temperature gradient. This produces yields a composite ceramics B4C–SiC–Si with a hardness of 26 to 35 GPa and a splitting tensile strength of 110 to 170 MPa. The influence of the velocity of movement of the temperature gradient on the structure, phase composition, and properties of the prepared composites has been studied.