Kinetics and Mechanisms of High-Temperature Creep in Silicon Carbide: III, Sintered α-Silicon Carbide

• Published in: Journal of the American Ceramic Society 1988-04, Vol.71 (4), p.281-295
• Main Authors: LANE, J.E., CARTER Jr, C.H., DAVIS, R.F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Building materials. Ceramics. Glasses; Chemical industry and chemicals; Exact sciences and technology; Refractory products; Special refractories
• ISSN: 0002-7820; 1551-2916
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1151-2916.1988.tb05861.x

The operative and controlling mechanisms of steady‐state creep in sintered α‐SiC have been determined both from kinetic data within the ranges of temperature and constant compressive stress of 1670 to 2073 K and 138 to 414 MPa, respectively, and from the results of extensive TEM and other analytical analyses. Dislocations in glide bands, B4C precipitates, and the interaction of these two entities were the dominant microstructural features of the crept material. The stress exponent increased from 1.44 to 1.71 with temperature; it was not a function of stress at a given temperature. The curves of In ɛ vs 1/T showed a change in slope at 1920 ± 20 K. The respective activation energies below and above this temperature interval were 338 to 434 and 802 to 914 kJ/mol. A synthesis of all this information leads to the conclusion that the controlling creep mechanism at low temperatures is grain‐boundary sliding accommodated by grain‐boundary self‐diffusion; at high temperatures, the controlling mechanism becomes grain‐boundary sliding accommodated by lattice diffusion. The parallel mechanism of dislocation glide contributes increasingly to the total strain as the number/volume of precipitates declines as a result of progressive coalescence with increasing temperature.