Reliability comparisons between additively manufactured and conventional SiC–Si ceramic composites

Abstract

An additively manufactured reaction-bonded silicon carbide ceramic composite is fabricated using a bimodal powder feedstock and the binder-jetting printing technique. On fabricating, the ceramic is investigated to report its composition, mechanical, and thermal properties at room temperature and high temperatures (up to 750 (Formula presented.)). The ceramic has a density of 2.76 g/cc, and shows a hardness of 21.74 GPa, and a flexure strength of 207.5 MPa at room temperature. The mechanical property of flexure strength is used to estimate its failure probability under applied stress, using a Weibull distribution. The mechanical properties and failure probabilities are compared with those of conventionally fabricated reaction-bonded silicon carbide ceramics reported in the literature. These ceramics were fabricated using methods such as slip-casting, compacting, and tape-casting. The comparison is used to elucidate the advantages and areas of improvement of the present additive manufacturing technique for reaction-bonded ceramics.