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Sinterability of Silicon Carbide and Boron Carbide under Single-Mode Microwave Fields

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Abstract

The feasibility of processing silicon carbide (SiC) and boron carbide (B4C) using a 2.45 GHz single-mode microwave system has been investigated. In order to determine the appropriate sintering conditions, samples were processed under various electric/magnetic (E/H) field ratios. Proportional 50% E/H-field ratios and 100% H-field conditions resulted in higher sample temperatures up to 1500 °C under equivalent microwave power. Sinterability was improved by adding B4C and carbon to SiC, but limited to a thin outer layer of the pellet. While partial densification was observed under all conditions, isolated regions of full densification in microwave-processed B4C samples were observed under 100% H-field mode. Microstructural analysis of microwave-processed SiC with and without additives indicated non-uniform sintering, while B4C showed evidence of relatively homogeneous microstructures.

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Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely thank Dr. Jerry LaSalvia (CTMB, ARL) for helpful discussions, Dr. Victoria Blair (CTMB, ARL) for help with initial ball milling of SiC-B4C-C powders, Dr. Steve Kilczewski (CTMB, ARL) for help with cold isostatic pressing of samples, and Ms. Aubrey Fry (CTMB, ARL) and Ms. Carli Moorehead (CTMB, ARL) for help with powder characterization measurements. S.V. Raju was sponsored by the CCDC Army Research Laboratory (ARL) under Cooperative Agreement No. W911NF-16-2-0050. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of ARL or the US Government. The US Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for government purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation herein. The research reported in this document was performed in connection with contract/instrument W911QX-16-D-0014 with the ARL. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of SURVICE Engineering and ARL. Citation of manufacturer’s or trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use thereof. The US Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for government purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation hereon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Belcamp, MD, USA

    Selva Vennila Raju

  2. SURVICE Engineering, Belcamp, MD, USA

    Michael Kornecki

  3. CCDC Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen, MD, USA

    Raymond E. Brennan

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  1. Selva Vennila Raju
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  2. Michael Kornecki
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Correspondence to Raymond E. Brennan.

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This article is an invited paper selected from presentations at the “11th International Symposium on Green and Sustainable Technologies for Materials Manufacturing and Processing,” held during Materials Science & Technology (MS&T’19), September 29–October 3, 2019, in Portland, OR, and has been expanded from the original presentation.

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Raju, S.V., Kornecki, M. & Brennan, R.E. Sinterability of Silicon Carbide and Boron Carbide under Single-Mode Microwave Fields. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 29, 5574–5581 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-04895-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-04895-7

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