Formation of Ti₃SiC₂ interphase coating on SiC_f/SiC composite by electrophoretic deposition

Abstract

To improve the oxidation resistance of SiC composites at high temperature, the feasibility of using Ti3SiC2 coated via electrophoretic deposition (EPD) as a SiC fiber reinforced SiC composite interphase material was studied. Through fiber pullout, Ti3SiC2, due to its lamellar structure, has the possibility of improving the fracture toughness of SiCf/SiC composites. In this study, Ti3SiC2 coating was produced by EPD on SiC fiber; using Ti3SiC2‐coated SiC fabric, SiCf/SiC composite was fabricated by hot pressing. Platelet Ti3SiC2 powder pulverized into nanoparticles through high‐energy wet ball milling was uniformly coated on the SiC fiber in a direction in which the basal plane of the particles was parallel to the fiber. In a 3‐point bending test of the SiCf/SiC composite using Ti3SiC2‐coated SiC fabric, the SiCf/SiC composite exhibited brittle fracture behavior, but an abrupt slope change in the strength‐displacement curve was observed during loading due to the Ti3SiC2 interphase. On the fracture surface, delamination between each layer of SiC fabric was observed.