Mechanical behavior of molybdenum disilicide reinforced silicon carbide composites

Hot-pressed SiC and its composites containing 10, 20 and 30 vol.% MoSi2 were evaluated for their mechanical behavior. The addition of MoSi2, while improving the fracture toughness, was found to reduce the hardness and flexural strength of SiC. The strength of the composites was observed to decrease significantly at high temperature as compared to the strength of SiC. The composites exhibited plasticity in four-point bending in the test temperature range of 1300–1500 °C, indicating their damage-tolerant behavior.