Silicon carbide, an exceptional technical ceramic, possesses outstanding properties that make it a useful asset in various industrial sectors. Capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and mechanical shock, silicon carbide provides unsurpassed endurance in hazardous environments.
Silicon carbide ceramic bodies can be formed using various processes, such as reaction bonding and sintering. Each process significantly impacts the end microstructure of the material produced.
High-Temperature and High-Friction Applications
SiC is an extremely durable material capable of withstanding high temperatures and friction, which enables it to be utilized across numerous fields such as mechanical manufacturing, petrochemical production, metal smelting and aerospace applications.
Both reaction bonded silicon carbide (RBSiC) and sintered silicon carbide (SSiC) are excellent choices for high temperature work and hard-faced seal components; however, pressureless sintering creates stronger products with superior thermal shock resistance than reaction sintering does.
RBSiC is created by infiltrating molten silicon into a porous carbon or graphite preform. While RBSiC has lower strength and hardness than its more durable cousin SSiC, production costs are reduced significantly thanks to RBSiC’s more economical manufacturing process. Both materials offer exceptional wear resistance as well as thermal stability which make SSiC an excellent material choice for seal faces due to its exceptional wear resistance and thermal stability properties; both features allow it to withstand the wear-and tear caused by high speed rotational motion while offering outstanding corrosion resistance resistance against both environments making mechanical seals or pump seals as well as bulletproof vests!
High-Velocity Flow Applications
Sintered silicon carbide stands up well against high velocity flows due to its strength and hardness, making it suitable for various uses in multiple fields. Ballistic armour plates made from sintered silicon carbide absorb and distribute impact energy in order to protect military and law enforcement personnel in hazardous settings while its durability makes it suitable for mining cyclone applications.
Reaction sintering involves infiltrating a porous ceramic body with liquid silicon to produce more SiC particles that bond to its original particles, creating dense silicon carbide ceramics with high bending strength. This densification method can be applied for producing large size and complex shaped silicon carbide ceramics.
Pressureless sintered silicon carbide is a dense form of the material that allows larger, more precise parts to be produced than reactive sintering. Additionally, its superior temperature resistance and lower coefficient of expansion makes it an excellent choice for chemical processing equipment and high-end molds.
High-Speed Applications
Sintered silicon carbide’s superior wear resistance and thermal conductivity make it an ideal material for manufacturing components exposed to high-speed forces, such as pumps and mechanical seals. Furthermore, its versatility means it is used in 3D printing, ballistics, chemical processing and energy technology applications as well as corrosion-resistant valves in harsh environments.
Reaction-bonded silicon carbide (RBSiC) is made by infiltrating molten silicon into porous carbon or graphite preforms where it reacts with existing particles of a-SiC to form b-SiC before being sintered and densified, yielding fully dense ceramic with excellent mechanical properties.
Blasch PureSic is a pressure-less sintered alpha silicon carbide product which can be formed using traditional ceramic forming techniques before being sintered at 2000degC in an inert atmosphere to produce highly dense products. This material has one of the highest strength levels among ceramics while maintaining toughness even under extreme temperatures without experiencing degradation – perfect for high speed aircraft applications where its durability helps save weight for improved performance and fuel efficiency.
Aerospace Applications
Silicon carbide’s thermal stability and strength make it ideal for aerospace applications such as insulators, seals and bearings. Furthermore, its resistance to moisture absorption from space radiation makes it especially suitable. Finally, its ability to withstand thermal shock prevents mechanical fatigue during high-speed flight travel ensuring its use at great distances.
Kymera International provides both reaction bonded and direct-sintered silicon carbide products. Reaction bonded SiC is made by infiltrating liquid silicon into porous carbon or graphite preforms; this creates a substrate with lower hardness, flexural bending strength and cost than direct-sintered SSiC manufacturing methods.
Direct-sintered SiC is created through pressing and sintering (heating) fine particles of silicon carbide powder. Although more complex, this method yields stronger and denser ceramic with greater tensile strength and hardness; as a result it is often specified for high performance applications like pump parts or hard-faced sealing components.
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