Effects of heat treatment on the microstructures and properties of KD-I SiC fibres

Abstract

For the sake of exploring the relationship between the microstructures and properties of silicon carbide (SiC)-based fibres, KD-I SiC fibres were heat treated at increased temperatures from 800 to 1600°C in Ar for 1 h. The tensile strength and the electrical resistivity of the fibres were evaluated by the single fibre tensile test and the two-point method, respectively. An remarkable thermal stability of the KD-I SiC fibres is exhibited, 60% of their initial strength was well kept while their electrical resistivity can still remain 0·5–1·2 Ω·cm after thermal exposure at up to 1400°C. Based on their microstructure characterisation along with the tensile and electrical tests, it indicated that the crystallisation and the composition of KD-I SiC fibres are the dominating factors for their mechanical and electrical performance at high temperatures.

Keywords:

• SiC fibres
• Heat treatment
• Microstructures
• Mechanical properties
• Electrical properties

Acknowledgements

This study is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51202291). The authors thank Mr Bing Li and Mr Shiyi Cao for valuable discussions.