Effect of Initial α‐Phase Content on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Sintered Silicon Carbide

By using α- and β-SiC starting powders with similar particle sizes, the effects of initial α-phase content on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the liquid-phase-sintered and subsequently annealed materials were investigated. The microstructures developed were analyzed by image analysis. When β-SiC powder was used, the grains became elongated. The average diameter decreased with increasing α-SiC content and the aspect ratio showed a maximum at 10%α-SiC and decreased with increasing α-SiC content in the starting powder. Such results suggest that microstructure can be controlled by changing α-phase content in starting powders. The strength increased with increasing α-SiC content in the starting powder while the fracture toughness decreased with increasing α-SiC content. There may be a trade-off in improving both the strength and toughness in SiC ceramics sintered with oxide additives.

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