• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.55 no.6
• /
• pp.527-555
• /
• 2018

High-temperature thermal insulation materials challenge extensive oxide candidates such as porus $SiO_2$, $Al_2O_3$, yttria-stabilized zirconia, and mullite, due to the needs of good mechanical, thermal, and chemical reliabilities at high temperatures simultaneously. Recently, porous rare earth (RE) silicates have been revealed to be excellent thermal insulators in harsh environments. These materials display attractive properties, including high porosity, moderately high compressive strength, low processing shrinkage (near-net-shaping), and very low thermal conductivity. The current critical challenge is to balance the excellent thermal insulation property (extremely high porosity) with their good mechanical properties, especially at high temperatures. Herein, we review the recent developments in processing techniques to achieve extremely high porosity and multiscale strengthening strategy, including solid solution strengthening and fiber reinforcement methods, for enhancing the mechanical properties of porous RE silicate ceramics. Highly porous RE silicates are highlighted as emerging high-temperature thermal insulators for extreme environments.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.84-93
• /
• 2017

This study investigates thermal and mechanical characterization of environmental barrier coating on the $SiC_f-SiC$ composites. The spherical environmental barrier coating (EBC) powders are prepared using a spray drying process for flowing easily during coating process. The powders consisting of mullite and 12 wt% of Ytterbium silicate are air plasma sprayed on the Si bondcoat on the LSI SiC fiber reinforced SiC composite substrate for protecting the composites from oxidation and water vapor reaction. We vary the process parameter of spray distance during air plasma spray of powders, 100, 120 and 140 mm. After that, we performed the thermal durability tests by thermal annealing test at $1100^{\circ}C$ for 100hr and thermal shock test from $1200^{\circ}C$ for 3000 cycles. As a result, the interface delamination of EBC never occur during thermal durability tests while stable cracks are prominent on the coating layer. The crack density and crack length depend on the spray distance during coating. The post indentation test indicates thermal tests influence on the indentation load-displacement mechanical behavior.