Processing, microstructure and ablation behavior of C/SiC–Ti3SiC2 composites fabricated by liquid silicon infiltration

•Ti3SiC2 was in situ formed in C/SiC composites.•C/SiC–Ti3SiC2 composites present better ablation resistance than C/SiC composites.•A protective oxide layer composed of SiO2 and TiO2 covers on the ablation surface.

In order to improve the ablation resistance of C/SiC composites, Ti3SiC2 was in situ formed in C/SiC composites by a joint process of slurry infiltration and liquid silicon infiltration (LSI). Both the mass ablation rate and linear ablation rate of C/SiC composites decrease with the introduction of Ti3SiC2 matrix. Compared with C/SiC composites, the low level of porosity and the existence of protective oxide layer lead to the better ablation resistance of C/SiC–Ti3SiC2 composites.