Low temperature sintering of ZrC-SiC composite

High-energy ball milling and spark plasma sintering were adopted to prepare ZrC-SiC composite. Zirconium carbide, silicon, and graphite powders were used as raw materials. ZrC-30 vol.% SiC was sintered to a relative density of >96.1% at 1800 degrees C. The composite showed a fine microstructure. The fracture strength reached up to 523.4 MPa, Vickers' hardness 18.8 GPa, fracture toughness 4.0 MPa m(1/2), and elastic modulus 390.5 GPa. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.