CRACK-HEALING BEHAVIOR AND BENDING STRENGTH PROPERTIES OF SiC CERAMICS BASED ON THE TYPE OF ADDITIVE SiO₂ EMPLOYED

Silicon carbide (SiC) exhibits good strength at high temperatures and resistance to radioactivity. However, it has poor fracture toughness. The ability to heal cracks represents a very desirable means of overcoming this weakness. This study focuses on the crack-healing behavior and bending strength of SiC ceramics to which sintering additives have been added. Optimized crack-healing condition was found to be 1hr at an atmospheric level of 1100 °C. The maximum crack size that can be healed at the optimized condition was a semi-elliptical surface crack of 450 µm in diameter. Si oxide was revealed to be the principle material involved in crack-healing.