Thermal Shock and Ablation Resistance of SiC Coating Repaired by Gaseous Silicon Infiltration

doi:10.15541/jim20240287

Abstract

Abstract:

Integrity and denseness of coatings significantly influence their performance. Scrapping and re-preparation of defective or damaged coatings not only lead to material waste but also prolong preparation time. To address the challenge of cost-effectiveness, repairing the coating to restore its protective capability is obviously essential. However, there is rare literature touched effective repairing method for porous SiC ceramic coatings. In this study, a straightforward and cost-effective gaseous silicon infiltration method was employed to repair defects in porous SiC coating prepared by pack cementation. Comparison experiments on thermal shock and ablation resistance of the coating were carried out before and after repair. Results demonstrated that the repaired coating exhibited robust adhesion to its substrate after 15 thermal cycles from room temperature to 1773 K, with a mass loss rate reduction of 97.05% in contrast to the pack cementation SiC coating. After ablation for 30 s, carbon fibers located in the center area of the repaired coating were successfully coated with SiO₂, without naked exposure or damage. The mass and thickness loss rates were reduced by 97.02% and 67.99%, respectively. All above results indicated that thermal shock and ablation resistance of the repaired coating were enhanced, which can be attributed to the increased densification and the reduction of defects in the repaired coating. Therefore, silicon, introduced through gaseous silicon infiltration, is more easily oxidized at elevated temperature to form SiO₂, which effectively heals defects and obstructs oxygen penetration, thereby preventing further oxidative damage to the substrate. This study provides a novel coating repair strategy with good economy and feasibility, constructs a new approach to effectively repair defects and damages of coatings, and enhances their service stability and durability.

Key words: SiC coating, thermal shock, ablation, repair

CLC Number:

TB332

HOU Jiaqi, CHEN Ruicong, ZENG Yaoying, ZHOU Lei, ZHANG Jiaping, FU Qiangang. Thermal Shock and Ablation Resistance of SiC Coating Repaired by Gaseous Silicon Infiltration[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2025, 40(2): 168-176.

Figures/Tables 13

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of the coating preparation

Fig. 2 Schematic diagram for tests of coating samples (a, b) Thermal shock test; (c) Ablation test

Fig. 3 Phase composition and morphologies of the coatings (a) XRD pattern, (b, c) surface and (d) cross-section morphologies for P-S coating;(e) XRD pattern, (f) surface morphology, (g) EDS analysis of Spot 1 and (h) cross-section morphology for G-S coating

Table 1 Densities and porosities of coating samples

Sample	Density/(g·cm^-3)	Porosity/%
P-S	1.80	7.31
G-S	1.87	3.92

Fig. 4 Weight loss curves of coating samples during thermal shock test from room temperature to 1773 K

Fig. 5 Morphologies of coating samples after thermal shock test (a) Macroscopic, (b, c) surface and (d) cross-section morphologies for P-S coating sample; (e) Macroscopic, (f, g) surface and (h) cross-section morphologies for G-S coating sample

Fig. 6 Variations of vapor pressure of main oxidation products for coatings with partial pressure of oxygen (a) and Gibbs free energy of oxidation reaction with temperature (b) Colorful figures are available on website

Fig. 7 Schematic diagram of anti-thermal shock behaviors of coatings

Fig. 8 Macroscopic morphology and 3D profile of the coating samples (a) Image of the process of ablation; (b, c) Macroscopic morphologies of (b) P-S and (c) G-S coating samples; (d, e) 3D profiles of (d) P-S and (e) G-S coating samples. Colorful figures are available on website

Fig. 9 (a) Variation curves of coating surface temperature with time, (b) mass and thickness loss rates, and (c, d) XRD patterns of P-S (c) and G-S (d) coating samples

Fig. 10 Surface morphologies and EDS analyses of C region in coatings after ablation (a, b) Surface morphology of P-S coating; (c) EDS analysis of Spot 2 in Fig. (a); (d, e) Surface morphology of G-S coating; (f) EDS analysis of Spot 3 in Fig. (e)

Fig. 11 Surface morphologies and EDS analyses of T and E regions in coatings after ablation (a) Surface morphology of T region, (b) EDS analysis of Spot 4, (c) surface morphology of E region and (d) EDS analysis of Spot 5 for P-S coating; (e) Surface morphology of T region, (f) EDS analysis of Spot 6, (g) surface morphology of E region and (h) EDS analysis of Spot 7 for G-S coating

Fig. 12 Schematic diagram of the anti-ablation behavior of the coating samples Colorful figure is available on website

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