Efficient Synthesis/Sintering Routes to Obtain Fully Dense ZrB₂-SiC UHTC Materials

Abstract:

Two processing routes, both starting from powders of Zr, B4C and Si, which take advantage of the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) apparatus, are proposed in this work for the preparation of fully dense 2ZrB2-SiC composite. The first method consists of the in-situ reaction synthesis and densification of the product while, in the second one, reactants are first converted by SHS (Self-propagating Hightemperature Synthesis) into the desired composite and the obtained powders are then sintered by SPS. Based on the results reported in this work, both routes are particularly convenient as compared to the techniques available in the literature for the preparation of analogous materials.