| Densification, β → a transformation and nanoindentation studies of SiCw/SiC composites fabricated by spark plasma sintering |
| Mangesh Lodhe1, Amit Bhargav1, Awin Wasan2, G. Logesh2, Rajeev Parmar3, M. Balasubramanian2 |
1Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, 462003, India
2Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India
3Department of Chemical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, 462003, India |
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Received: September 26, 2023; Revised: January 18, 2024 Accepted: February 11, 2024. Published online: April 2, 2024. |
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| ABSTRACT |
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Polycarbosilane-derived SiCW/SiC composites were processed by spark plasma sintering (SPS). Whisker-reinforced composites were densified with faster rates to a maximum density of ~ 98%, indicative of positive influence of SiC whiskers on densification behavior. Electron backscattered diffraction study confirmed the presence of twins in the sintered composites. A misorientation angle of 60° resembled to {111} twin boundaries. Twin density was found to increase with SPS temperature and whisker contest. Twin boundaries were found to be responsible for β → a SiC transformation. Hardness increased sharply with the increase in whisker content and a decrease in grain size. The maximum hardness of 23.4 GPa was observed in 20% SiCw/SiC composite. Nanoindentation study reflects the positive effect of whiskers on hardness and elastic modulus. |
| Key words:
SiCw/SiC · Densification · Spark plasma sintering · Twin boundaries (TBs) |
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