Microstructure and compressive strength of porous SiC derived from wood

Porous SiC derived from wood is studied. The production process includes a pyrolysis step, where a carbon preform is obtained, and an infiltration cycle, where liquid silicon penetrates into the preform by capillarity and simultaneously reacts with carbon, forming SiC. With this process, microstructures mimicking those of original woods are obtained. Due to the wide variety of woods existing in nature, porous SiC with different microstructures can be produced. In the present study, specific woods are selected in function of their microstructure. In particular, the results obtained with a selection of Softwoods and Hardwoods, characterized by a different pore size distribution along the axial direction, are compared. The effects of the different porosity and microstructure on the mechanical strength are investigated in the three principal directions.