Microstructure and properties of silicon carbide whisker reinforced zirconium diboride ultra-high temperature ceramics

Hot-pressed zirconium diboride (ZrB2) matrix composites containing 0–30 vol% silicon carbide (SiC) whiskers have been investigated to determine the effect of composition (i.e. amount of SiC whiskers) on the microstructure, mechanical properties and thermal properties. With increasing SiC whisker volume contents, the flexural strength and fracture toughness of the composites were improved compared to those of monolithic ZrB2. Flexural strength increased from 629 MPa for pure ZrB2 to 767 MPa for ZrB2–30 vol%SiCw. Likewise, fracture toughness ranged from 5.4 to 7.1 MPa m1/2 over the same composition range. Specific heat capacity increased with SiC whisker addition, while thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity decreased slightly with the increase of SiC whisker content.

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