T. S. Orlova

Erosion and strength degradation of biomorphic SiC

Abstract Solid-particle-erosion studies were conducted on biomorphic SiC based on eucalyptus and pine, reaction-bonded (RB) SiC, and hot-pressed (HP) SiC. The erodents were angular SiC abrasives of average diameter 63, 143, or 390 μm and the impact velocity was 100 m s −1 . Impact occurred at normal incidence. Material loss in all targets occurred by brittle fracture. The biomorphic specimens eroded by formation of both lateral and radial cracks and their erosion rates were higher than both conventional SiCs. The RB SiC eroded as a classic brittle material, by formation and propagation of lateral cracks. The HP SiC, the hardest target, was the most erosion resistant. In erosion of the HP SiC, the abrasive particles, especially the largest ones, fragmented upon impact. The resulting dissipation of energy led to relatively low erosion rates. Flexural strength before and after erosion was measured for the biomorphic eucalyptus, RB SiC, and HP SiC. Erosion damage reduced the flexural strengths of all of the specimens. The relative strength reductions were lowest for the biomorphic eucalyptus and highest for the HP SiC. The hot-pressed SiC responded as predicted by accepted models of impact damage in brittle solids. The responses of the biomorphic and reaction-bonded SiC specimens were modeled as if they consisted of only SiC and porosity. This approximation agreed reasonably well with observed degradations of strength.

Mechanical properties and microstructure of an Al2O3–SiC–TiC composite

The mechanical properties and microstructure of a hard, electrodischarge-machinable composite, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-SiC-TiC, were studied. The material was fabricated by hot pressing 46.1 vol.% Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} powder, 30.9 vol.% SiC whiskers and 23.0 vol.% TiC powder. Significant reaction occurred between the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and SiC during processing. The resultant composite consisted of nearly unreacted TiC particles, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, plus smaller concentrations of SiC, mullite and possibly a mixture of Al-Si-O-C. The composite exhibited at room temperature an elastic modulus of 409.6{+-}0.5 GPa, microhardness values of 19-32 GPa, indentation fracture toughness (KIC) of 9.6{+-}0.6 MPa(m)0.5, compressive strength as high as 2.8 GPa and fracture strength in bending of {approx}680-825 MPa.

Thermal conductivity of high-porosity biocarbon preforms of beech wood

This paper reports on measurements performed in the temperature range 5–300 K for the thermal conductivity κ and electrical resistivity ρ of high-porosity (cellular pores) biocarbon preforms prepared by pyrolysis (carbonization) of beech wood in an argon flow at carbonization temperatures of 1000 and 2400°C. X-ray structure analysis of the samples has been performed at 300 K. The samples have revealed the presence of nanocrystallites making up the carbon matrices of these biocarbon preforms. Their size has been determined. For samples prepared at Tcarb = 1000 and 2400°C, the nanocrystallite sizes are found to be in the ranges 12–25 and 28–60 κ(T) are determined for the samples cut along and across the tree growth direction. The thermal conductivity κ increases with increasing carbonization temperature and nanocrystallite size in the carbon matrix of the sample. Thermal conductivity measurements conducted on samples of both types have revealed an unusual temperature dependence of the phonon thermal conductivity for amorphous materials. As the temperature increases from 5 to 300 K, it first increases in proportion to T, to transfer subsequently to ∼T1.5 scaling. The results obtained are analyzed.

Thermal and electrical properties of a white-eucalyptus carbon preform for SiC/Si ecoceramics

The thermal conductivity κ and electrical resistivity ρ of a white-eucalyptus cellular carbon preform used to fabricate silicon-carbide-based (SiC/Si) biomorphic ceramics have been measured in the 5-to 300-K temperature interval. The carbon preform was obtained by pyrolysis (carbonization) of white-eucalyptus wood at 1000°C in an argon ambient. The κ(T) and ρ(T) relations were measured on samples cut along the tree growth direction. The experimental data obtained were processed.

Specific features of electrical properties of porous biocarbons prepared from beech wood and wood artificial fiberboards

This paper reports on comparative investigations of the structural and electrical properties of biomorphic carbons prepared from natural beech wood, as well as medium-density and high-density fiberboards, by means of carbonization at different temperatures Tcarb in the range 650–1000°C. It has been demonstrated using X-ray diffraction analysis that biocarbons prepared from medium-density and high-density fiberboards at all temperatures Tcarb contain a nanocrystalline graphite component, namely, three-dimensional crystallites 11–14 Å in size. An increase in the carbonization temperature Tcarb to 1000°C leads to the appearance of a noticeable fraction of two-dimensional graphene particles with the same sizes. The temperature dependences of the electrical resistivity ρ of the biomorphic carbons have been measured and analyzed in the temperature range 1.8–300 K. For all types of carbons under investigation, an increase in the carbonization temperature Tcarb from 600 to 900°C leads to a change in the electrical resistivity at T = 300 K by five or six orders of magnitude. The dependences ρ(T) for these materials are adequately described by the Mott law for the variable-range hopping conduction. It has been revealed that the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity exhibits a hysteresis, which has been attributed to thermomechanical stresses in an inhomogeneous structure of the biocarbon prepared at a low carbonization temperature Tcarb. The crossover to the conductivity characteristic of disordered metal systems is observed at Tcarb ≳ 1000°C.

Electrical and galvanomagnetic properties of biocarbon preforms of white pine wood

The electrical and galvanomagnetic properties of high-porosity biocarbon preforms prepared from white pine wood by pyrolysis at carbonization temperatures Tcarb = 1000 and 2400°C have been studied. Measurements have been made of the behavior with temperature of the electrical resistivity, as well as of magnetoresistance and the Hall coefficient in the 1.8–300-K temperature interval and magnetic fields of up to 28 kOe. It has been shown that samples of both types (with Tcarb = 1000 and 2400°C) are characterized by high carrier (hole) concentrations of 6.3 × 1020 and 3.6 × 1020 cm−3, respectively. While these figures approach the metallic concentration, the electrical resistivity of the biocarbon materials studied, unlike that of normal metals, grows with decreasing temperature. Increasing Tcarb brings about a decrease in electrical resistivity by a factor 1.5–2 within the 1.8–300-K temperature range. The magnetoresistance also follows a qualitatively different pattern at low (1.8–4.2 K) temperatures: it is negative for Tcarb = 2400°C and positive for Tcarb = 1000°C. An analysis of experimental data has revealed that the specific features in the conductivity and magnetoresistance of these samples are described by quantum corrections associated inherently with structural characteristics of the biocarbon samples studied, more specifically with the difference between the fractions of the quasi-amorphous and nanocrystalline phases, as well as with the fine structure of the latter phase forming at the two different Tcarb.

Thermal conductivity of the SiC/Si biomorphic composite, a new cellular ecoceramic

The thermal conductivity κ and electrical resistivity ρ of a SiC/Si biomorphic composite were measured at temperatures T = 5–300 K. The composite is a cellular ecoceramic fabricated by infiltrating molten Si into the channels of a cellular carbon matrix prepared via pyrolysis of wood (white eucalyptus) in an argon ambient. The κ(T) and ρ(T) relations were measured on a sample cut along the direction of tree growth. The experimental results obtained are analyzed.

Thermal conductivity of high-porosity cellular-pore biocarbon prepared from sapele wood

This paper reports on measurements (in the temperature range T = 5–300 K) of the thermal conductivity κ(T) and electrical conductivity σ(T) of the high-porosity (∼63 vol %) amorphous biocarbon preform with cellular pores, prepared by pyrolysis of sapele wood at the carbonization temperature 1000°C. The preform at 300 K was characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis. Nanocrystallites 11–30 Å in ize were shown to participate in the formation of the carbon network of sapele wood preforms. The dependences κ(T) and σ(T) were measured for the samples cut across and along empty cellular pore channels, which are aligned with the tree growth direction. Thermal conductivity measurements performed on the biocarbon sapele wood preform revealed a temperature dependence of the phonon thermal conductivity that is not typical of amorphous (and X-ray amorphous) materials. The electrical conductivity σ was found to increase with the temperature increasing from 5 to 300 K. The results obtained were analyzed.

Thermal conductivity of high-porosity biocarbon precursors of white pine wood

This paper reports on measurements of the thermal conductivity κ and the electrical conductivity σ of high-porosity (cellular pores) biocarbon precursors of white pine tree wood in the temperature range 5–300 K, which were prepared by pyrolysis of the wood at carbonization temperatures (Tcarb) of 1000 and 2400°C. The x-ray structural analysis has permitted the determination of the sizes of the nanocrystallites contained in the carbon framework of the biocarbon precursors. The sizes of the nanocrystallites revealed in the samples prepared at Tcarb = 1000 and 2400°C are within the ranges 12–35 and 25–70 Å, respectively. The dependences κ(T) and σ(T) are obtained for samples cut along the tree growth direction. As follows from σ(T) measurements, the biocarbon precursors studied are semiconducting. The values of κ and σ increase with increasing carbonization temperature of the samples. Thermal conductivity measurements have revealed that samples of both types exhibit a temperature dependence of the phonon thermal conductivity κph, which is not typical of amorphous (and amorphous to x-rays) materials. As the temperature increases, κph first varies proportional to T, to scale subsequently as ∼T1.7. The results obtained are analyzed.

Grain size refinement due to relaxation of disclination junction configurations in the course of plastic deformation of polycrystals

A model is proposed for the formation of the substructure in polycrystals during plastic deformation. According to this model, fragmentation of a grain occurs through the formation of a system of diagonal low-angle boundaries, which originate at the edges of a rectangular grain. Misorientation boundaries form through relaxation of a nonsymmetric junction quadrupole disclination configuration accumulated at the grain corners under severe deformation when the disclination strength reaches a certain critical value. The energetics of this process is analyzed. A general case is considered where the disclinations at the junctions of the chosen grain differ in strength. The energetic approach used makes it possible to determine the misorientation angle ωx of the resulting boundaries corresponding to the maximum energy gain and to find the dependence of this angle on the degree of asymmetry of the quadrupole configuration of junction disclinations. According to the proposed model, the splitting of a grain with a short edge greater than 0.5 μm is energetically favorable and decreases the latent energy of the grain for any ratio between the junction disclination strengths if the grain length-to-width ratio is less than 30. It is shown that the minimum possible grain size in the proposed model does not exceed 0.1 μm.