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Microwave sintering of boron carbide composites

Journal Article · · American Ceramic Society Bulletin; (United States)
OSTI ID:6807523
;  [1]
  1. Israel Ceramic and Silicate Inst., Haifa (Israel)

Boron carbide is an important ceramic material because of its high hardness and low specific gravity. it is used for applications involving impact and wear resistance. The disadvantages of boron carbide materials are difficulty in fabrication and sensitivity to brittle fracture. These problems are significantly reduced by production of cermets based on boron carbide and aluminum or aluminum alloys. Microwave heating of boron carbide materials results in ultrarapid heating and high temperatures. Therefore, a finer microstructure is obtained. The objective of this work was to define a technology that would allow the manufacture of boron carbide ceramics having mechanical properties similar to those exhibited by hot-pressed specimens. microwave heating would be used for the densification step. Mixtures of boron carbide and aluminum were considered for this research because aluminum simultaneously acts as a sintering aid and introduces phases that contribute to toughness enhancement.

OSTI ID:
6807523
Journal Information:
American Ceramic Society Bulletin; (United States), Journal Name: American Ceramic Society Bulletin; (United States) Vol. 74:1; ISSN 0002-7812; ISSN ACSBA7
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English