High temperature creep of SiC densified using a transient liquid phase

Abstract

Silicon carbide-based ceramics can be rapidly densified above approximately 1850 °C due to a transient liquid phase resulting from the reaction between alumina and aluminum oxycarbides. The resulting ceramics are fine-grained, dense, and exhibit high strength at room temperature. SiC hot pressed at 1875 °C for 10 min in Ar was subjected to creep deformation in bending at elevated temperatures between 1500 and 1650 °C in Ar. Creep was thermally activated with an activation energy of 743 kJ/mol. Creep rates at 1575 °C were between 10−9/s and 10−7/s at an applied stress between 38 and 200 MPa, respectively, resulting in a stress exponent of ≍1.7.