Study of reaction-bonded silicon carbide samples using visual-optical and radiographic methods of nondestructive control

Products based on silicon carbide are widely used in different industrial applications due to a high level of their mechanical, thermal, and operational properties. When the reaction sintering procedure is used to obtain silicon carbide materials, the preformed porous samples consisting of silicon carbide powders, carbon filler, and coke binder are subjected to liquid-phase silicizing (silicon melt infiltration (MI) in a vacuum furnace. We present the results of studying samples of reaction-bonded silicon carbide (RBSC) using visual-optical and radiographic methods of non-destructive control. Silicizing of carbon-silicon carbide materials can result in formation of defects on their surface and in the bulk of the material. The visual-optical method is shown to be rather simple and extremely informative procedure which ensures the detection of surface defects in the form of pores, cracks, chips, shells, and can also provide indirect indications of possible presence of internal defects in the form of underimpregnated areas. The samples silicized with a larger number of silicon drops on their surface exhibit a higher density and a smaller number of underimpregnated areas which can be detected using radiographic control. X-ray control carried out for several exposures differing in the angle of sample rotation by 90° provided 95%-probability of detecting internal volumetric and planar defects. The results obtained can be used in the manufacture of RBSC-based parts of tribotechnical duty, shut-off valves and other wear-resistant products.

1. Antonova E. S., Golubeva N. A., Kelina I. Yu., Plyasunkova L. A., Stakhrovskaya T. E., Nechepurenko A. S. Influence of grain size of raw powder mixtures on the physical and mechanical properties of reaction-bonded silicon carbide / Nov. Ogneupory. 2014. N 10. P. 37 – 41 [in Russian].

2. Sorokin O. Y., Bubnenkov I. A., Koshelev Y. I., Orekhov T. V. Development of fine grained siliconized graphite with improved properties / Khimiya Khim. Tekhnol. 2012. Vol. 55. N 6. P. 12 – 16 [in Russian].

3. Ovsienko A. I., Rumyantsev V. I., Bespalov I. A., Silnikov N. M. Prospectives of reaction-bonded boron carbide applications for ceramic armors / Vopr. Oboron. Tekhn. 2015. N 7 – 8(85 – 86). P. 95 – 101 [in Russian].

4. Gordeev S. K., Ezhov A. Yu., Karimbaev T. D., Korchagina S. B., Mezentsev M. A. Powder reinforced diamond-SiC composites — novel materials for mechanical engineering / Kompoz. Nanostrukt. 2015. Vol. 7. N 10. P. 61 – 71 [in Russian].

5. Kablov E. N., Osoennikova O. G., Svetlov I. L. High-efficiency cooling of thermal loaded gas turbine airfoils / Aviats. Mater. Tekhnol. 2017. N 2. P. 3 – 14 [in Russian]. DOI: 10.18577/2071-9140-2017-0-2-3-14

6. Kablov E. N., Bondarenko Yu. A., Echin A. B. Development of directional solidification of cast superalloys with variably controlled temperature gradient / Aviats. Mater. Tekhnol. 2017. N S. P. 24 – 38 [in Russian]. DOI: 10.18577/2071-9140-2017-0-S-24-38

7. Ospennikova O. G., Podyachev V. N., Stolyankov Yu. V. Refractory alloys for advanced engineering / Tr. VIAM. 2016. N 10(46) [in Russian]. DOI: 10.18577/2307-6046-2016-0-10-5-5

8. Allen A., Levin I., Witt S. Materials research and measurement needs for ceramic additive manufacturing / J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 2020. P. 6055 – 6069. DOI: 10.1111/jace.17369

9. Kablov E. N., Echin A. B., Bondarenko Yu. A. History of directional solidification technology and equipment for airfoil casting / Tr. VIAM. 2020. N 3(87) [in Russian]. DOI: 10.18577/2307-6046-2020-0-3-3-12

10. Rumyantsev V. I., Boikov S. Yu., Osmakov A. S., Fishchev V. N. Qualimetry of reaction-bonded silicon carbide / Ogneupory Tekhn. Keram. 2007. N 12. P. 29 – 34 [in Russian].

11. Wahl G. Carbon materials — new developments for the use in high duty axial face seals / 15th International Sealing Conference. — University of Stuttgart, Germany, 2008. P. 24.

12. Gnesin G. G. Silicon carbide materials. — Moscow: Metallurgiya, 1977. — 216 p. [in Russian].

13. Koshelev Y. I., Kostikov V. I., Tatievskaya E. M., Telegin V. D., Nagorny V. G. Influence of impurities on SG-P siliconized graphite / Adgeziya Raspl. Paika Mater. 1991. Vol. 25. P. 90 – 94 [in Russian].

14. Garshin A. P., Kulik V. I., Nilov A. S. Analysis of emergence, characterization and methods of imaging technological defects in ceramic composites with SiC-matrix obtained by liquid-phase silicification / Nov. Ogneupory. 2019. N 8. P. 23 – 33 [in Russian].

15. Miroshin K. G., Kosarina E. I., Savvina N. A., Stepanov A. V. X-ray of ceramic rods and wax model of gas turbine blades / Aviats. Mater. Tekhnol. 2006. N 1. P. 32 – 39 [in Russian].

16. Khlybov A. A., Ilyakhinsky I. A. Nondestructive control of SiC materials / Defektoskopiya. 2019. N 1. P. 39 – 43 [in Russian].

17. Sangsuwan P., Orejas J., Gatica J., et al. Reaction-bonded silicon carbide by reactive infiltration / Industr. Eng. Chem. Res. 2001. Vol. 40. P. 5191 – 5198.

18. Ershov A. E., Shikunov S. L., Kurlov V. N. Calculation phase method SiC – Si – C materials, obtained by siliconization of carbon materials / Zh. Tekhn. Fiz. 2017. Vol. 87. Issue 6. P. 888 – 895 [in Russian].

19. Stankus S. V., Khairulin R. A., Tyagelsky P. V. Thermal properties of germanium and silicon in condensed state / Teplofiz. Vysok. Temperatur. 1999. Vol. 37. N 4. P. 559 – 564 [in Russian].

20. Tarabanov A. S., Kostikov V. I. Siliconized graphite. — Moscow: Metallurgiya, 1977. — 208 p. [in Russian].

21. Kosarina E. I., Krupnina O. A., Stepanov A. V. X-ray methods of non-control. — Moscow: Sven, 2019. — 385 p. [in Russian].