Fabrication and characterization of a carbon fibre reinforced carbon-silicon carbide-titanium silicon carbide hybrid matrix composite

In order to reduce residual silicon in carbon fibre reinforced carbon-silicon carbide binary matrix composite fabricated by liquid silicon infiltration, the aqueous slurry of titanium carbide (TiC) powder was used for introducing TiC into porous carbon/carbon composite (C/C) by slurry infiltration. With increasing the infiltration times, the amount of TiC in C/C increased. During liquid silicon infiltration, silicon reacted with TiC and part of carbon matrix, leading to the formation of a carbon fibre reinforced carbon-silicon carbide-titanium silicon carbide hybrid matrix composite (C/C-SiC-Ti₃SiC₂). When liquid silicon was infiltrated into the C/C filled with 4 vol% TiC particles, the composite attained 21 vol% SiC and 4 vol% Ti₃SiC₂. The flexural strength of the composite was improved from 125 to 200 MPa and fracture toughness from 8 to 9 MPa m^1/2. During flexural testing, Ti₃SiC₂ grains exhibited characteristics of delamination, deformation, kinking, layered fracture and intergranular cracking, beneficial to improving the mechanical properties of the composites.