Siliconizing carbon fabrics at 1600°C

Siliconizing of carbon fabrics has been achieved by pack cementation at 1600°C. A uniform layer of SiC was developed on each individual carbon fiber, from the center to the surface of carbon fabrics. The cross-section shape of the carbon fibers being siliconized significantly affected the growth of the SiC layers. The NaF activator used in some pack cementation experiments resulted in an Al-doped SiC product layer with much faster growth kinetics compared to pack cementation without the NaF activator. A model for the conversion/growth of SiC from carbon fabrics is proposed, and the theoretical interpretation for the growth kinetics is in good agreement with the experimental observations.