Influence of surface roughness and temperature on the oxidation behavior of ZrC/SiC samples

New composites were elaborated using ZrC and SiC powders and the Spark Plasma Sintering process. The samples were polished at 4 different levels in order to compare the influence of surface roughness and temperature (1400 and 1600 K) on the characteristics of the oxide layers. By XRD analysis, it was confirmed that polishing and temperature level provoked changes in the crystalline structure. SEM imaging coupled to EDS microanalysis showed that the oxide layer was made of zirconia grains with silica at the grain boundaries. Nano-indentation was used to analyze the influence of the initial surface roughness and temperature on the hardness of the oxide layer. At 1400 K, the initial polishing has favored the growth of a hard oxide layer, which could be probably correlated to the higher crystallinity of the oxide. At 1600 K, it seems that a rougher initial surface favors the hardness of the oxide layer, which could be correlated to a better adherence between the oxide layer and the substrate. Both phenomena (crystallinity and adherence) would be in competition to reduce the fragility of the oxide layer.