Mechanical properties and slurry erosion resistance of SiC ceramic foam/epoxy co-continuous phase composite

A new type of SiC ceramic foam/epoxy co-continuous phase composite (SiCfoam/EP) to be used as an antierosion material was prepared with the matrix of E-51 epoxy resin and the reinforcement of SiC ceramic foam in this work. Different kinds of SiC ceramic foam can greatly influence the interfacial structures and mechanical properties of composites. Among four treatments of SiC ceramic foams, it is found out that fabricating a transition layer is an efficient method to improve the mechanical properties of SiCfoam EPs. The slurry erosion properties of SiCfoam/EP, the epoxy matrix, the pipeline steel and SiC particle reinforced epoxy-based composite (SiCp/EP) were investigated using a rotating disc rig. Owing to the supporting and shadowing effects of SiC ceramic foam, the slurry erosion resistance of SiCfoam/EP is significantly improved compared with the epoxy matrix, the pipeline steel and SiCp/EP. Therefore, SiCfoam/EP can be viewed as a promising potential application under the solid particle erosion conditions. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.