Silicon Carbide (SSiC), often referred to by its acronym, has long been used in numerous applications around the globe. At IPS Ceramics we supply all major types of high performance silicon carbide including sintered and reaction bonded SSiC (Hexoloy).
Hard and lightweight armor solutions made of SiC tiles provide personnel who face various threats in diverse environments with multi-threat protection, making ballistic protection an excellent option for military bases and tactical operations.
Motståndskraft mot korrosion
Silicon carbide consists of silicon and carbon atoms bound together by strong covalent bonds in its crystal structure, creating strong covalent bonds which resist acids or alkalis and allow molten salts up to 1600degC without being affected. Furthermore, its low coefficient of thermal expansion and strength make it an excellent material choice for high temperature applications.
Reaction bonded silicon carbide (RB SiC) is designed for maximum strength and corrosion resistance, outshone only by its counterpart nitride bonded silicon carbide (NB SiC) by far. Furthermore, its castability features can accommodate large or complex shapes while offering desirable refractory and chemical properties that make this an excellent material.
Hexoloy SA SiC is a pressureless sintered silicon carbide ceramic featuring superior mechanical performance and outstanding resistance to abrasion, making it suitable for high-efficiency machine components such as drive pumps, seal rings, nozzles and bushes. Furthermore, Hexoloy SA SiC’s unique chemical and temperature resistance are accomplished via its special refractory binder/chemistry combination.
Motståndskraft mot slitage
Silicon Carbide Tile is one of the toughest advanced ceramic materials on the market. Offering excellent abrasion, erosion and impact resistance; its hardness far surpasses alumina; corrosion resistance is better than most ceramics; while its oxidation resistance surpasses even that of tungsten carbide.
Sintered silicon carbide (SSiC), unlike alumina, remains strong even at higher temperatures while remaining semiconductive and provides the highest chemical resistance among fine ceramics.
silicon carbide (SiC) for use in lightweight armour systems has enjoyed rapid adoption due to significant cost and performance advantages over existing materials like alumina. This phenomenon is driven by high ballistic performance combined with weight savings considerations. This research investigates whether KrF excimer laser processing of SiC and alumina tiles prior to adhesive bonding could improve composite-backed ceramic armor panels; testing was performed on control, refired and laser treated Alumina/Silica Carbide tiles tested to STANAG 4569 levels III/IV was conducted for comparison purposes.
Motståndskraft mot höga temperaturer
Solid-phase sintered silicon carbide stands out among fine ceramic materials by not degrading at temperatures up to 1400degC – this makes it the material of choice for mechanical seals and pump parts, semiconductor processing equipment, and general industrial machines that need heat resistance.
Sintered SiC has an excellent impact resistance. Even when exposed to high-velocity projectiles, it can withstand significant damage without fragmentation or breakage – as evidenced in ballistic tests conducted on composite panels made of alumina and sintered SiC. Control samples showed significant adhesive layer damage while laser-treated tiles with four shots did not fail during these ballistic tests.
ATTs’ ceramic products are carefully packaged to minimize damage during shipment. Tiles are sent in sealed bags while boxes are cushioned with heavy foam for safe transport.
Impact Resistance
Silicon carbide ceramics provide excellent impact resistance. This form of refractory ceramic can be created through either reaction bonding or by reaction infiltration; with this latter process, coarse silicon carbide powder is infiltrated with molten metal such as aluminium to form a ceramic-metal composite material.
The ceramic tile produced using this process, called SiC (alumina/silicon carbide), has an extremely hard Moh’s scale rating of 9.5 and offers one of the highest fatigue strengths and abrasion resistance among fine ceramics, along with superior chemical inertia properties and resistance to acids.
Research using relatively soft tungsten carbide cored projectiles revealed that reaction bonded SiC ceramics offer great protection when layered at 7.59mm or thicker, achieving an excellent mass efficiency factor of 4.9 times higher than steel armour material (excluding edge effects). Laser processing prior to adhesive bonding significantly enhanced ballistic performance of composite-backed ceramic tiles tested to STANAG 4569 levels III and IV; specifically laser treated panels showed greater resistance against damage caused by 7.62 mm projectiles tested.
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