Improvement of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of SiC–VC System Obtained by Electroconsolidation
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study examines the influence of vanadium carbide (VC) on the physical and mechanical properties of SiC–VC composites fabricated by a modified spark plasma sintering (SPS) method at a uniaxial pressure of 45 MPa. It was found that the addition of 40 wt.% VC into the SiC matrix led to a substantial reduction in porosity from ca. 30% to less than 8.2% and caused enhancement of the properties. Fracture toughness increased from 2.9 to 7.0 MPa·m1/2, and hardness rose from 2.9 to 22.6 GPa. In the SiC–VC system, vanadium carbide acted as a grain growth inhibitor and particulate reinforcement. A sintering temperature increase from 1900 °C to 2000 °C resulted in a ~70% improvement in hardness and a ~50% gain in fracture toughness. The results highlighted the critical balance between densification parameters and microstructural stability. Utilization of n-dimensional vector space of material features, Mahalanobis distance, and Pareto trade-off optimization helped to describe the features of the newly obtained composites and to optimize the manufacturing process.
Source: Materials
DOI: 10.3390/ma18184331
Institutions: National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, V. Bakul Institute for Superhard Materials, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Ukrainian State University of Railway Transport, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Kazimierz Pułaski University of Technology and Humanities in Radom, Lublin University of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Ceramics and Composites
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
OpenAlex ID: W4414245322