Abstract

Development of texture in SiC materials by hot-pressing and subsequent annealing was studied. Crystallographic texture type was characterized by measuring X-ray pole figures on the perpendicular plane to the hot-pressing direction. Observed all pole figures were nearly axially symmetric (fiber texture). In case of ${\beta}$-SiC materials, the pole density of basal plane (0004) increased as annealing time increased, in contrast, other planes (hkil) of ${\beta}$-SiC materials and all planes of ${\alpha}$-SiC materials nearly remained unchanged. In the case of ${\beta}$-SiC materials, therefore, a weak texture of (0001) plane at the normal direction took place in the 8h annealed samples, resulting from grian growth. The fracture toughness values of ${\alpha}$-SiC materials measured in both planes parallel and perpendicular to the hot-pressing direction were very similar. However, the fracture toughness of ${\beta}$-SiC materials measured parallel to the hot-pressing direction were higher than that measured perpendicular to the hot-pressing derection, relatively, because of the texture and the microstructure anisotropy.

Keywords

• Silicon carbide;
• Preferred orientation;
• Anisotropy;
• Fiber texture