Eric J. Wuchina

Mechanical, Thermal, and Oxidation Properties of Refractory Hafnium and zirconium Compounds

Abstract The thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, Youngs Modulus, flexural strength, and brittle–plastic deformation transition temperature were determined for HfB2, HfC0·98, HfC0·67, and HfN0·92 ceramics. The oxidation resistance of ceramics in the ZrB2–ZrC–SiC system was characterized as a function of composition and processing technique. The thermal conductivity of HfB2 exceeded that of the other materials by a factor of 5 at room temperature and by a factor of 2·5 at 820°C. The transition temperature of HfC exhibited a strong stoichiometry dependence, decreasing from 2200°C for HfC0·98 to 1100°C for HfC0·67 ceramics. The transition temperature of HfB2 was 1100°C. The ZrB2/ZrC/SiC ceramics were prepared from mixtures of Zr (or ZrC), SiB4, and C using displacement reactions. The ceramics with ZrB2 as a predominant phase had high oxidation resistance up to 1500°C compared to pure ZrB2 and ZrC ceramics. The ceramics with ZrB2/SiC molar ratio of 2 (25 vol% SiC), containing little or no ZrC, were the most oxidation resistant.