Characterization of slurry infiltrated SiCf/SiC prepared by electrophoretic deposition

A hybrid process of SiC slurry impregnation (SI) and hot pressing (HP) has an advantage for the fabrication of dense SiCf/SiC (silicon carbide fiber reinforced/silicon carbide matrix) composite. An effective impregnation of the SiC slurry into the voids of a fiber preform is important to fill the dense matrix phase in the SI and HP processes. An electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique was applied to effectively increase the densification of the matrix phases by a fast, simple, and efficient impregnation of the SiC slurry. An EPD was performed using a dual electrode system under an applied voltage of 10 V for 30 min with/without ultrasonification. The maximum density of SiCf/SiC composite fabricated by an EPD with ultrasonification was 3.14 ± 0.04 g/cm3. The flexural strength was 531 ± 26 MPa for a composite with a single interlayer of (200 nm PyC (pyrolytic carbon) + 600 nm SiC).