Processing and mechanical properties of B4C-SiCw ceramics densified by spark plasma sintering

Abstract

Homogenous distribution of whiskers in the ceramic matrix is difficult to be achieved. To solve this problem, B4C-SiCw powder mixtures were freeze dried from a slurry dispersed by cellulose nanofibrils (CellNF) in this work. Dense B4C ceramics reinforced with various amounts of SiCw up to 12 wt% were consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1800 °C for 10 min under 50 MPa. During this process, CellNF was converted into carbon nanostructures. As iron impurities exist in the starting B4C and SiCw powders, both thermodynamic calculations and microstructure observations suggest the dissolution and precipitation of SiCw in the liquids composed of Fe-Si-B-C occurred during sintering. Although not all the SiCw grains were kept in the final ceramics, B4C-9 wt% SiCw ceramics sintered at 1800 °C still exhibit excellent Vickers hardness (35.5 ± 0.8 GPa), flexural strength (560 ± 9 MPa) and fracture toughness (5.1 ± 0.2 MPa·m1/2), possibly contributed by the high-density stacking faults and twins in their SiC grains, no matter in whisker or particulate forms.