Processing and Properties of (Zr,Hf)B₂-SiC Ceramic Composites

Abstract:

Different molar ratio of HfB₂ and ZrB₂ had been mixed, and 30 vol.% SiC was selected as sintering additives. The mixing powders were sintered by hot pressing at 1900 °C for 1 h under a pressure of 20 MPa in Ar atmosphere. X-ray diffraction, scanning microscopy and Archimedes’s method were used to characterize the phase, microstructure and density of the sintered composites. Meanwhile, the hardness, the fracture toughness and flexural strength of the obtained composites were considered too. It can be found that the (Zr,Hf)B₂ solid solutions were formed by HfB₂ and ZrB₂ during the sintering. The flexural strength of (Zr,Hf)B₂-SiC composites increased with the amount of HfB₂ increasing, which reached (332±40) MPa for the composites content of 70% HfB₂. Which fracture toughness was (2.22±0.25) MPa·m^1/2. The highest Vickers’ harness of was (24.8±3.4) GPa for the composites content of 50% HfB₂.

• Periodical: Solid State Phenomena (Volume 281)
• Pages: 438-443
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/SSP.281.438
• Online since: August 2018
• Authors: Xiao Tong Zhao, Hai Long Wang*, Gang Shao, Bing Bing Fan, Hong Xia Lu, Hong Liang Xu, De Liang Chen, Rui Zhang
• Keywords: HfB₂, Hot Pressing, Solid Solution, ZrB₂

References

[1] W.G. Fahrenholtz, et al, Refractory diborides of zirconium and hafnium, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 90 (2007) 1347-1364.

[2] S.Q. Guo, et al, Densification of ZrB2-based composites and their mechanical and physical properties: a review, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 29 (2009) 995-1011.

[3] J.K. Sonber, et al, Synthesis and consolidation of zirconium diboride:review, Adv. Appl. Ceram., 110 (2011) 321-334.

[4] W.W. Wu, et al, Microstructure and Anisotropic Properties of Textured ZrB2 and ZrB2-MoSi2 Ceramics Prepared by Strong Magnetic Field Alignment, Int. J. Appl. Ceram. Tech., 11 (2014) 218-227.

DOI: 10.1111/ijac.12061

[5] R.Z. Wang, et al, Effects of microstructures and flaw evolution on the fracture strength of ZrB2-MoSi2 composites under high temperatures, J. Alloys. Compd. 644 (2015) 582-588.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2015.05.027

[6] X.T. Zhao, et al, ZrB2-SiCw ceramic composites synthesized by in-situ reaction and spark plasma sintering, Int. J. Appl. Ceram. Tech., 14 (2017) 845-850.

DOI: 10.1111/ijac.12720

[7] J. Watts, et al, Mechanical characterization of ZrB2-SiC composites with varying SiC particle sizes, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 94 (2011) 4410-4418.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2011.04885.x

[8] D. Sciti, et al, Processing, sintering and oxidation behavior of SiC fibers reinfored ZrB2 composites, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 32 (2012) 1933-(1940).

DOI: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2011.10.032

[9] S.Q. Guo, et al, Mechanical behavior of two-step hot-pressed ZrB2-based composites with ZrSi2, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 29 (2009) 787-794.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2008.06.037

[10] S. Gang, et al, ZrB2-ZrSi2-SiC composites prepared by reactive spark plasma sintering, Int. J. Refractory metals and hard mater., 60 (2016) 104-107.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2016.07.011

[11] S.Q. Guo, Effects of sintering temperature and excess Zr on mechanical properties of reactive hot-pressed ZrB2-ZrCx-Zr Cermets, Key Eng. Mater., 697 (2016) 633-638.

DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/kem.697.633

[12] D.W. Readey, Kinetics in materials science and engineering, Boca Raton, Florida, (2016).

[13] D.B. Miracle, et al, A critical review of high entropy alloys and related concepts, Acta Mater., 122 (2017) 448-511.

DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2016.08.081

[14] S. Otania, et al, Solid solution ranges of zirconium diboride with other refractory diborides: HfB2, TiB2, TaB2, NbB2, VB2 and CrB2, J. Alloys Compd., 475 (2009) 273-275.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2008.08.023

[15] A.A. Miguel, et al, Mechanosynthesis of Hf1-xZrxB2 solid solution and Hf1-xZrxB2/SiC composite powders, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 93 (2010) 696-702.

[16] D.L. Mclane, et al, Thermal properties of (Zr,TM)B2 solid solutions with TM=Hf, Nb, W, Ti, and Y, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 97 (2014) 1552-1558.

DOI: 10.1111/jace.12893

[17] L. Silvestroni, et al, TEM analysis, mechanical characterization and oxidation resistance of a highly refractory ZrB2 composite, J. Alloys Compd., 602 (2014) 346-355.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2014.02.133

[18] D. Sciti, et al, Sintering and mechanical properties of ZrB2-TaSi2 and HfB2-TaSi2 ceramic composites, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 91 (2008) 3285-3291.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2010.04317.x

[19] L. Silvestroni, et al, Transmission electron microscopy on Zr- and Hf- borides with MoSi2 addition: densification mechanisms, J. Mater. Res., 25 (2010) 828-834.

DOI: 10.1557/jmr.2010.0126

[20] H.L. Wang, et al, The processing and properties of (Zr,Hf)B2-SiC nanostructured composites, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 34 (2014) 4105- 4109.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2014.05.020

[21] B. Basu, et al, Dynamic compression behavior of reactive spark plasma sintered ultrafine grained (Zr,Hf)B2-SiC composites, Ceram. Int., 41 (2015) 8468-8474.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2015.03.052

[22] H.L. Wang, et al, Nano-Hafnium diboride powders synthesized using a spark plasma sintering apparatus, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 95 (2012) 1493-1496.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2012.05141.x