Preparation and properties of 2D C/ZrB2-SiC ultra high temperature ceramic composites

Two-dimensional C/ZrB2-SiC composites were fabricated by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) process combined with slurry paste (SP) method. ZrB2 was introduced in the matrix by stacking the pasted carbon cloth with ZrB2-polycarbosilane slurry. After heat-treated at 900 degrees C, the stacked carbon cloth preform was infiltrated SiC by CVI process to obtain 2D C/ZrB2-SiC composites. Mechanical properties such as flexural strength and interlaminar shear strength were investigated. The ablation tests were carried out on an oxyacetylene torch flame. The small linear erosion rates indicate that the composites have good ablation resistance properties. These results demonstrate that CVI combined with SP method is a useful way to fabricate 2D C/ZrB2-SiC composites. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.