Effect of C/C preform density on microstructure and mechanical properties of C/C–SiC composites prepared by alloyed reactive melt infiltration

Low cost C/C–SiC composites were prepared by alloyed reactive melt infiltration. Effects of the density of C/C preforms on mechanical properties and microstructure of the C/C–SiC composites are reviewed. The results show that with increasing the density of C/C preforms, the flexural strength of the resulting composites increases, while the density of the composites decreases. The flexural strength can reach 341 MPa for the composite produced from the C/C preform of 1·3 g cm⁻³. The phases in the composites produced from low density C/C preforms are Si, SiC, ZrSi₂ and carbon, while no Si phase is found in the composites with high density C/C preforms. Furthermore, the mechanism of the microstructure evolution of the C/C–SiC composites is proposed.