Microstructure and oxidation resistance of SiC coated carbon-carbon composites via pressureless reaction sintering

The effects of processing parameters on the microstructure and oxidation resistance of silicon carbide (SiC) coated carbon-carbon (C-C) composites were investigated. C-C composites were made from plain woven carbon cloths and phenolic derived carbon matrices in the laboratory. Pressureless reaction sintering has been used to apply SiC coating to C-C composites using epoxy resin and silicon powder as the precursor. Results showed that the oxidation resistance of C-C composites was enhanced by coating with SiC. The pressureless reaction sintering process exhibits good processability. β-SiC was formed after heat treatment at 1800 °C and the α-SiC formed after heat treatment at 2200 °C. The SiC coated C-C composites exhibit good oxidation resistance at 1000 °C for 100 h under the test conditions.