Effect of surface oxidation on thermal shock resistance of ZrB2-SiC-ZrC ceramic at temperature difference from 800 to 1900 °C

In the present work, the ZrB2-ZrC-SiC ceramic was fabricated at 1900 °C through the reaction (5Zr + 2B4C + Si → 4ZrB2 + ZrC + SiC). The effect of oxidation behavior on the thermal shock resistance of the ZrB2-ZrC-SiC ceramic was investigated in two kinds of heat conditions (air and vacuum) by measuring the residual strength after water quenching for the temperature difference ranging from 200 to 1900 °C. The improvement of thermal shock resistance was attributed to the formation of oxide layers. The results of the present work indicate that the short-term oxidation is favorable to improve the thermal shock resistance of ZrB2-based ceramics.