Thermo-mechanical behavior of SiC-based composites for gas turbine engines

Abstract

The silicon carbide-based ceramic composites have been increasingly used due to their low density and ability to withstand high temperatures, improving the fuel efficiency of gas turbine aero engines. This study investigates the mechanical and thermal behavior of silicon carbide (SiC) based ceramic composites with two different particle sizes 50 µm and 10 µm, with a combination of boron carbide(B₄C) and Silicon carbide nanofillers. The ceramic composites were fabricated using the powder metallurgy technique and followed by sintering at a high temperature of 1400 °C. The oxy-acetylene flame test results show that the mass and linear ablation rates of ceramic composites with 50 µm silicon carbide were lower. The linear and mass ablation rates of the composite were reduced by 67% and 70%, respectively, by the addition of SiC filler. When the B4C filler was added, the linear and mass ablation rates both considerably dropped by 24% and 20%, respectively. Comparing the samples with the addition of SiC nanofillers to other samples, a 63% reduction in rear surface temperature was observed. The Ultrasonic test results concluded that sample 5, silicon carbide nanofiller added with 50 µm grain size SiC, shows fewer defects compared to other samples.