Processing of reaction-bonded B4C–SiC composites in a single-mode microwave cavity

In this study, the reaction sintering of boron carbide, which consists in doing reactive infiltration of molten silicon throughout a porous sample made of B4C and carbon graphite was investigated. Thus, it has been shown that a single-mode microwave cavity can be successfully used to produce reaction-bonded B4C–SiC composite. A specific package, consisting of a SiC based susceptor and a boron nitride based insulating container, was used to heat up the B4C–Si system using a single-mode microwaves cavity under an Ar–H2 atmosphere. Pore-free B4C–SiC composite successfully produced consists of a mixture of B4C and polygonal shaped β-SiC within a residual silicon matrix. The indentation technique permits to determine mechanical properties of the samples which are compared to those obtained conventionally. It appears that the average hardness (H≈22 GPa) value is quite constant all along the sample thickness which highlights good homogeneity of the samples obtained. Some aspects of the microstructure are also discussed and compared to those of samples conventionally obtained.