Sintered silicon carbide composites deposited on zirconium alloy substrates in air and Ar atmosphere-Part II: Evaluation on micro-indentation properties

Micro-indentation test was performed on sintered Silicon Carbide (SiC) deposited on Zr-1Nb (E110) substrates fabricated in air and Ar atmosphere. Micro-indentation results show SiC sintered on Zr-1Nb in air and Ar having hardness of about 7 and 4 times respectively than that of uncoated Zr-1Nb. Both coating variants doubles their resistance to depth penetrated by indenter compared to the uncoated Zr-alloy. XRD phase quantitative results indicate the formation of approximately 15% more protective oxides, mostly SiO2 on sample sintered in air than sample sintered in Ar atmosphere accounting for the extra resistance to mechanical deformation.

Automated summary

Micro-indentation tests were conducted on sintered Silicon Carbide (SiC) deposited on Zr-1Nb (E110) substrates fabricated in air and Ar atmosphere. The results showed that SiC sintered on Zr-1Nb in air and Ar exhibited significantly higher hardness and resistance to depth penetration by the indenter compared to uncoated Zr-1Nb. XRD phase quantitative analysis indicated the formation of approximately 15% more protective oxides, mainly SiO2, on samples sintered in air, contributing to increased resistance to mechanical deformation.