The effect of Si on the microstructure and mechanical properties of spark plasma sintered boron carbide
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)
- Ceramic and Composite Materials Center, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08854 (United States)
Highlights: • Si addition leads to a dense final product at a low sintering temperature. • The added Si preferentially formed SiC and borosilicate glass instead of replacing the chain atoms in boron carbide. • The hardness of our Si-containing boron carbide is 30–35% greater than currently in-use commercial boron carbide plates. - Abstract: Fully dense boron carbide discs were achieved by spark plasma sintering boron carbide powders with 10 wt% silicon. The silicon did not diffuse into boron carbide grains to produce a solid solution of Si-doped boron carbide; instead the silicon reacted with impurities in the starting powder to form β-SiC and borosilicate glass. The resultant new phases facilitated densification of the multiphase ceramic through liquid phase-assisted sintering. The resultant material exhibits improved hardness (34.3 GPa Vikers hardness under 1 kg load) with toughness comparable to both Si-free and commercially available boron carbide.
- OSTI ID:
- 22804835
- Journal Information:
- Materials Characterization, Journal Name: Materials Characterization Vol. 134; ISSN 1044-5803; ISSN MACHEX
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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