Silicon Carbide Ceramics

Discovered by Edward G. Acheson about 1890, silicon carbide is one of the oldest materials and also a new material. It occurs naturally in meteorites, but in very small amounts and is not in a useable state as an industrial material. For industrial require ments, large amounts of silicon carbide must be synthesized by solid state reactions at high temperatures. Silicon carbide has been used for grinding and as an abrasive material since its discovery. During World War II, silicon carbide was used as a heating element; however, it was difficult to obtain high density sintered silicon carbide bodies. In 1974, S. Prochazka reported that the addition of small amounts of boron compounds and carbide were effective in the sintering process to obtain high density. It was then possible to produce high density sintered bodies by pressureless sintering methods in ordinary atmosphere. Since this development, silicon carbide has received great attention as one of the high temperature structural ceramic materials. Since the 1970s, many research papers have appeared which report studies of silicon carbide and silicon nitride for structural ceramics.

It has been three decades since the last significant book was published on SiC ceramics (other than those books that specifically focus on SiC semiconductors). Thirty years has been a long time in the world of SiC ceramics. In the early 1990s, SiC was still a relatively obscure ceramic even within the materials community, prominent only as an industrial abrasive (carborundum), and a refractory (Chapter 7). This has all changed dramatically in the 21st century. For example, As a semiconductor, SiC greatly surpasses silicon in performance, especially in high-power systems. Its market penetration since its launch in 2001 has been exponential. Single-crystal SiC semiconductors are covered in Chapter 3 Millions of military and paramilitary personnel have globally been protected with lightweight SiC body armour, since the late 1990s. Body armour is covered in Chapters 4 and 5 SiC–SiC is a composite material close to commercialization that makes possible high-temperature load-bearing applications hitherto only able to be hypothesized: from ultra-high-temperature jet turbine blades to advanced nuclear fuel encapsulation, the possibilities are very promising. Aerospace applications are covered in Chapter 9 Other key areas that are addressed are blast-resistant SiC vehicle/vessel armour in Chapter 8 and wear-resistant SiC ceramics in Chapter 6 Silicon Carbide Ceramics will be an essential reference resource for academic and industrial researchers and materials scientists and engineers working in ceramic materials for the semiconductor, defence, aerospace, wear resistance and refractory fields Presents an extensive review of the history, production and properties of SiC ceramics, including their characterization and applications Discusses classical and state-of-the-art sintering technologies for SiC ceramics Focuses on the future of ceramic manufacturing and advanced ceramic additive technologies

Silicon carbides have major industrial uses as high temperature structural ceramic materials. These two volumes are translated from the Japanese and provide a comprehensive account of the seminal work going on in Japan.

Metal-Reinforced Ceramics covers the principle of metal-fiber-reinforced ceramics, a well-known topic in the field of reinforced concrete. Much of the work that has been done has remained unpublished, hidden in industrial company archives due to the commercial sensitivity associated with the respective technologies that prevailed at the time, which no longer applies today. This book will discuss advanced technologies that have largely been undocumented before in a broad range of industrial application areas, with updates on alumina, silicon carbide, boron carbide, tungsten carbide, fused silica, and carbon-based ceramics which are hard, heat resistant, wear resistant, and chemically durable. Provides detailed information on fundamental principles, advanced processing technologies and industrial applications Features comprehensive industrial knowledge not usually in the public domain from the author’s experience spanning more than three decades Features armor ceramics, bioceramics, aerospace, mining and architectural ceramic applications

In this book, we explore an eclectic mix of articles that highlight some new potential applications of SiC and different ways to achieve specific properties. Some articles describe well-established processing methods, while others highlight phase equilibria or machining methods. A resurgence of interest in the structural arena is evident, while new ways to utilize the interesting electromagnetic properties of SiC continue to increase.

This volume focuses on recent scientific and technological developments in silicon-based (i.e., silicon nitride, SiAlONs, silicon carbide, silicon oxynitride) structural ceramics. Authors from academia and industry assess the current state of the art in slilicon-based structual ceramics. Industrial case studies are advocated to highlight the development and application of these materials in real engineering environments. Proceedings of the symposium held at the 104th Annual Meeting of The American Ceramic Society, April 28-May1, 2002 in Missouri; Ceramic Transactions, Volume 142.