silicon carbide ceramic
Silicon carbide ceramic is one of the lightest, hardest, and strongest technical ceramics available. It boasts excellent corrosion-resistance which makes it suitable for many applications such as refractory linings in industrial furnaces, wear-resistant parts for pumps and rocket engines, as well as semiconducting substrates for light-emitting diodes.
SiC has an incredible Mohs hardness of 9.5, rivalling diamond in hardness. As a result, it has become one of the most widely utilized and versatile materials in today’s industry.
Corrosion Resistance
Silicon carbide ceramic is one of the hardest and toughest advanced ceramic materials, used in numerous industrial applications.
Pressureless sintered silicon carbide is virtually impervious to all common acids (hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrobromic acid and hydrofluoric acid), bases (amines, potash and caustic soda), solvents as well as oxidizing media like nitric acid.
In addition to the widely-used chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique, silicon carbide can also be produced through pyrolysis of preceramic polymers such as polycarbosilanes and poly(methylsilyne).
Silicon carbide’s high hardness makes it a superior wear-resistant material, especially when direct sintered. It maintains its strength and hardness even at elevated temperatures, further increasing its wear resistance.
High Temperature Resistance
Silicon carbide ceramic is an exceptional material for wear protection applications due to its superior temperature resistance. It can protect parts from abrasive and impact wear in areas prone to temperature changes at rapid rates of change.
Furthermore, its high strength and thermal conductivity make it ideal for a range of applications. It is commonly employed in bearings, nozzles, bullet proof plates, and other silicon carbide ceramic-resistant components.
SiC is manufactured through several processes, such as reaction bonding and sintering. It’s also available in liquid and vapor phases, making it suitable for a range of structural uses.
Sintered SiC is made with pure silicon carbide powder combined with non-oxide sintering additives and then sintered at temperatures up to 2000oC or higher. This process results in a much lower hardness but excellent thermal conductivity.
Thermal Shock Resistance
Thermal shock resistance of a material refers to its capacity for withstanding rapid temperature changes. Sudden temperature shifts can create large stress gradients and lead to catastrophic failure in materials such as ceramics.
In general, high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion and large strength make a material resistant to thermal shock. However, how quickly a material’s temperature can change depends on how rapidly its microstructure is affected by this change and how rapidly it can adjust itself.
Thermal shock resistance is typically achieved with carbon-bonded oxide graphite systems and sialon-bonded SiC. These materials have low thermal expansion, high strength, and a microstructure less vulnerable to crack propagation.
Wear Resistance
Silicon carbide ceramic is highly resistant to abrasion and impact due to its high hardness. It is often chosen for protecting machinery, pumps and valves working at high service temperatures as well as applications where temperature fluctuations occur rapidly.
Due to its exceptional resistance to abrasion and impact, diamond is frequently used in wear-resistant pipelines, impellers, pump rooms, cyclone components and other wear-resistant equipment. Furthermore, diamond has incredible strength properties – comparable to diamond!
Grit blasting, slurry pumping and water jet cutting are just a few applications where this mineral excels. Additionally, it serves as the basis for bulletproof ceramics with excellent stopping power.
SiC is a technical ceramic material commonly used in large market sectors like automotive, metallurgy and electronics. It boasts superior mechanical strength, hardness, thermal shock resistance and low density.