Joining of the Cf/SiC composites by a one-step Si infiltration reaction bonding
Graphical abstract
Introduction
Carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites (Cf/SiC) have received considerable attention for their excellent high-temperature performances, excellent corrosion resistance, high specific rigidity, high thermal conductivity and exhibits low density [1,2]. Thus, Cf/SiC composites are possible materials in many areas, such as high-temperature structural components, aerospace, national defense, energy, and so on [3,4].
However, it is almost impossible to fabricate Cf/SiC composites components by forging, extruding or other plastic forming processes due to its extreme hardness and brittle nature. The rapid development of aerospace, national defense, energy, and other fields has put forward urgent requirements for Cf/SiC components with the complex shape or large size. Therefore, the most popular approach for fabricating Cf/SiC components is to join small or simple composites pieces together to form the desired structures. At present, a wide range of technologies has been developed for joining Cf/SiC composites, such as metallic braze-based joining [5,6], MAX phase joining [7,8], glass-ceramic bonding [9], diffusion [10], polymer-derived SiC joining [11] and SiC reaction joining [[12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17]].
The method of SiC reaction joining is to apply the reaction-sintered silicon carbide ceramic process to the joining of silicon carbide ceramic and its composite material. Compared with other joining methods, the method of reaction joining has the advantages of high joint strength, good matching of the interlayer and the substrate, high application temperature and controllable structure of the interlayer [12]. In previous work [[12], [13], [14]], a variety of SiC ceramics and ceramic matrix composites were joined using this method, and the mechanical properties of the joints were evaluated. M Singh [15] studied the effect of the base material and joining process parameters on the high-temperature mechanical properties of the joint formed by the SiC reaction bonding. By measuring the electrical properties of the joint interface, Li, S.B [16] found no abrupt change in electrical resistivity around the joint area, which indicates that there is no steep gradient in the microstructure and properties of the SiC reaction joint interface. Luo, Z.H [17] used SiC/C tapes with different composition and thickness to join a pressureless sintered silicon carbide ceramic by SiC reaction bonding and obtained a sample having high bending strength by controlling the composition and thickness of the interlayer. However, the machining of the SiC ceramics and ceramic matrix composites before joining is quite difficult, and the process of silicon infiltration is repeated.
Besshi, T [18] found that the joining of green bodies before sintering is useful in obtaining complexly shaped Al2O3 ceramic parts and effective for reducing manufacturing costs. In this paper, an improved joining technique by reaction bonded technology was studied. The Cf/C preform was joined before the silicon infiltration process, and the joining process was applied at the stage of the siliconization. The final densification and joining of the reaction-sintered composites were simultaneously completed in the reaction bonding process. The most important advantage of this technology is that the joining of the reaction-sintered composite by a one-step Si infiltration process, avoiding the repeated silicon infiltration process. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the joint were studied. The interfacial evolution mechanism of the joint area was also discussed.
Section snippets
Experimental procedures
The materials used for joining in this paper include Cf/SiC composites and Cf/C perform, all of which are prepared in our laboratory. The microstructure of the Cf/C preform is shown in Fig. 1. The density and the 3-point flexural strength of the Cf/SiC composites and Cf/C preform in this study are 2.77 ± 0.03 g/cm3, 210 ± 22 MPa, and 0.94 g/cm3, 95 ± 10 MPa, respectively.
The precursor slurry, containing organic resin, solvent, dispersant, catalyst, and SiC powder, was used for joining. The
Microstructure of the joints
Fig. 3 presents the cross-section microstructure of the RB-OS joint and RB-TS joint. Microstructural studies and phase analysis reveal that both of the joints are well-bonded without cracks and voids, and the interlayer is basically ‘fully dense’. This one-step silicon infiltration reaction bonding method achieves an effective joining of the Cf/SiC composite. The interlayer thicknesses of the RB-OS (Fig. 3b) and RB-TS (Fig. 3a) joints are approximately 55 μm and 12 μm, respectively. The detail
Conclusions
It has been demonstrated that the one-step silicon infiltration reaction bonding can achieve a joint with strong interfacial bonding and high flexural strength. A transition layer of 2–3 μm transition layer formed between the interlayer and the Cf/SiC substrate, which is composed of SiC crystal grains of about 0.5–1 μm. The flexural strength of RB-OS joints reached 203 ± 24 MPa, which is comparable to the flexural strength of the Cf/SiC substrate. The more homogenous microstructure of
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (No. 16ZR1440900).
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