Mechanical Properties of Reaction Sintered Silicon-Silicon Carbide Composites

Mechanical properties of sìlicon-silicon carbide (Si -Si C) composites were determined at room temperature in a wide range of composition (0-90 vol % SiC).The materials were prepared by reaction sintering between silicon and carbon powders. The resulting particulate composites were isotropic and close to the theoretical density ( >99.5% t.d.). Three -point bending strengths exceeding 600 MPa were measured for SiC content higher than 70 vol %. Fracture toughness (SENB method) versus SiC content ranges from 1 to 5 MPa?m .