Preparation and properties of 2D C/SiC–ZrB2–TaC composites

Two-dimensional (2D) C/SiC–ZrB2–TaC composites were fabricated by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) combined with slurry paste (SP) method. 2D laminate was prepared by stacking carbon cloth that was pasted with a mixture of polycarbosilane–ZrB2–TaC slurry. A small amount of carbon fiber tows were introduced into the preform in the vertical direction. After heat-treated at 1800 °C, the 2D laminate was densified with SiC by CVI to obtain 2D C/SiC–ZrB2–TaC composites. Properties including flexural strength, interlaminar shear strength, and thermal expansion of the composites were investigated. The ablation test was carried out under an oxyacetylene torch flame. The morphologies of the ablated specimens were analyzed. The results indicate that the adding vertical fiber tows and heat-treatment at 1800 °C can greatly improve the mechanical properties of the composites. The co-addition of TaC and ZrB2 powders into C/SiC composite effectively enhance its ablation resistance.