Silicon Carbide (SC) is a non-oxide ceramic material second only to diamond and cubic boron nitride in terms of hardness. Additionally, it exhibits excellent chemical resistance properties while remaining resilient under temperatures up to 1400degC.
Ortech offers a broad selection of fully densified sintered and reaction-bonded silicon carbide products, suitable for casting, dry pressing and isostatic pressing processes. These materials are widely used in applications like mechanical seals, pump parts and aerospace grade materials.
Hardness
Silicon carbide (SiC) is an extremely hard nonoxide ceramic and one of the hardest substances known to mankind, only eclipsed by diamond and boron carbide in terms of hardness. SiC is ideal for high wear applications as well as heat, chemical and abrasion resistance as well as electrical usage – which make it the go-to material in high wear environments such as factories.
Aluminum oxide ceramic is widely used in abrasives and wear-resistant products, such as car brake pads and bulletproof vest ceramic plates. Additionally, this material has applications in refractories (kiln shelves) due to its resistance to high temperatures while having minimal thermal expansion rates; additionally it’s found use as advanced ceramic applications such as cutting tools or semiconductor devices.
Silicon carbide occurs naturally only very rarely as the mineral moissanite. Since 1893, silicon carbide has been mass produced as powder or crystal forms for use as an abrasive. This hard chemical compound consists of silicon and carbon atoms arranged tetrahedrally, closely packed within an interwoven lattice for ultimate strength and hardness. Transformation toughening can further strengthen it by subjecting its crystalline structure to extreme temperatures and pressures, strengthening it further. silicon carbide outshines ceramics by remaining strong even at temperatures as high as 1400degC, providing electric vehicle components with increased durability against demanding voltage demands and driving distances, thus leading to greater driving distances and energy efficiency.
Corrosion Resistance
Silicon carbide (SiC) is a crystalline compound of silicon and carbon. Since the late 19th century, SiC has been an essential manufacturing material used to produce products such as sandpaper, grinding wheels and cutting tools. Refractory linings and heating elements for industrial furnaces also use SiC extensively as do wear-resistant parts found in pumps, rocket engines and semiconductor substrates used for light emitting diodes (LED).
Silicon carbide boasts outstanding chemical resistance in addition to its hardness, with temperatures reaching 1400degC without weakening of strength or deterioration of properties. As one of the hardest and most abrasion-resistant ceramic materials, silicon carbide can withstand frictional wear similar to steel without frictional wear issues arising. Furthermore, it is one of the most corrosion resistant fine materials and impervious to acids, lyes and other chemicals which would compromise its integrity otherwise.
SiC is insoluble in water but dissolves in hot molten alkali and iron solutions. Due to its chemical stability, SiC makes an ideal material choice for applications involving harsh environments and high temperatures such as automobile brakes/clutches/clutch plates as well as bulletproof vests.
Edward Acheson of Pennsylvania pioneered commercially successful silicon carbide production in 1891 when searching for artificial diamond production methods. Silicon carbide can be created through either the reduction of silica with carbon in an electric arc furnace, or through thermal decomposition of polymethylsilyne formed when natural gas is burned – both processes produce silicon carbide at commercial scale.
Thermal Expansion
Silicon carbide, commonly referred to as carborundum ( ), is an extremely hard synthetic crystalline technical ceramic produced since 1893 for use as an abrasive and more recently as an advanced refractory and high temperature material. Silicon carbide has significant electrical properties; however it also forms tough ceramic materials with super hard properties used in applications requiring high endurance such as car brakes and bulletproof vest plates.
Silicon carbide stands out in strength and durability due to its unique crystal structure. SiC has two primary coordination tetrahedra composed of four silicon and four carbon atoms each covalently bonded into an arrangement called two primary coordination tetrahedra; this feature contributes to its outstanding hardness – only diamond and cubic boron nitride can outshone it!
At room temperature, its Young’s modulus of 440 GPa demonstrates its superior stiffness and resistance to deformation, making it the perfect solution for use in environments and conditions where mechanical loads or high pressures exist.
SiC’s low thermal expansion rate makes it ideal for spacecraft design and exploration of planets, and recent observations indicate that some stars may possess carbon-to-oxygen ratios high enough to form planets composed of carbides instead of silicates, meaning their densities would likely exceed those associated with silicate planets.
Chemical Resistance
Silicon carbide ceramics can withstand extreme chemical environments thanks to the strength of its atomic bonds, protecting its components while providing safety and long term reliability in demanding operational conditions.
Silicon carbide’s unique combination of properties explains its wide array of industrial uses. Its ability to withstand extreme temperature conditions, thermal shock resistance and chemical corrosion makes it one of the most versatile and long-lasting fine ceramics currently available on the market.
Silicon carbide’s crystal structure consists of carbon and silicon atoms covalently bonded together into close-packed lattices by covalent bonds, creating a strong structure with minimal thermal expansion and wear resistance, which makes this material suitable for applications involving high mechanical stresses or pressures. It has also proven its durability by being hard, wear-resistant and low in friction coefficient – qualities that make silicon carbide an excellent material choice for many other uses as well.
Silicon carbide ceramics stand out as being unrivaled when it comes to chemical resistance, making it an excellent choice for automotive applications where active cooling systems may add weight and complexity to a vehicle’s chassis.
Silicon carbide can be found naturally as moissanite gem, while more commonly produced synthetically from a mixture of silica sand and coal. After being heated up and formed into ingots, this material is ground down into precise particle sizes before being processed for various applications depending on its grade – industrial silicon carbide (SSiC) has no free silicon while sintered rhenium carbide (RBiC) includes graphite to improve its tribological and lubrication properties.