Preparation and characterization of high-performance ZrB2–SiC–Cf composites sintered at 1450 °C

ZrB 2 –SiC–C f composites containing 20–50 vol% short carbon fibers were hot pressed at low sintering temperature (1450 °C) using nanosized ZrB 2 powders, in which the fiber degradation was effectively inhibited. The strain-to-failure values of such composites increased with increasing fiber content, and the value for the composite with 50 vol% C f was even more than 3 times higher than that of the composite with 20 vol% C f . Furthermore, the composite exhibited non-brittle fracture mode when the fiber content was above 30 vol%, and the thermal shock critical temperature difference of the composite with 30 vol% C f was up to 727 °C, revealing excellent thermal shock resistance of this composite. Additionally, ZrB 2 –SiC–C f composites displayed good oxidation resistance when the fiber content was below 40 vol%, suggesting that this method provides a promising way for preparation of high-performance ZrB 2 –SiC–C f composites at low temperature.