Erosion protective coatings for low density, highly porous carbon/carbon composites

A simple and low cost method based on slurry coating was used to produce silicon carbide, titanium carbide and glass-ceramic coatings on low density carbon/carbon composites in order to improve their erosion resistance. Microstructural analyses were performed for substrate and coatings by optical microscopy, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. As-received and coated composites were submitted to erosion tests using a sandblasting machine according to ASTM G76-95. The best results were obtained with a silica–alumina–yttria based glass-ceramic coating.