Mechanical properties and microstructure of Cf/ZrC-SiC and Cf/SiC composites produced by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis combined with gaseous silicon infiltration

C-f/SiC and C-f/ZrC-SiC composites were fabricated via a novel combined process, which achieved a lower open porosity below 8% compared with the single PIP process. Nevertheless, C-f/SiC and C-f/ZrC-SiC composites did not possess the superior mechanical properties, but the poorer ones. Meanwhile, the veiled factors affecting the mechanical properties have been clarified. The large SiC particles (as large as similar to 40 mu m) degraded the strength of matrix, thereby deteriorating mechanical properties of C-f/ZrC-SiC and C-f/SiC composites. Moreover, higher processing temperature (1700 degrees C) of the combined process and large CTE differences resulted in larger thermal residual stress in the composites compared with single PIP process with lower processing temperature (1200 degrees C), which also restrained the improvements of mechanical properties. (C) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.