Behavior of silicon carbide/cordierite composite material after cyclic thermal shock

In the present work Mg-exchanged zeolite and silicon carbide were used as starting materials for obtaining cordierite/SiC composite ceramics with weight ratio 30:70. Samples were exposed to the water quench test from 950 degrees C, applying various number of thermal cycles (shocks). Level of surface deterioration before and during quenching was monitored by image analysis. Ultrasonic measurements were used as non-destructive quantification of thermal shock damage in refractory specimens. When refractory samples are subjected to the rapid temperature changes crack nucleation and propagation occurs resulting in loss of strength and materials degradation. The formation of cracks decreases the density and elastic properties of material. Therefore by measuring these properties one can directly monitor the development of thermal shock damage level. Dynamic Youngs modulus of elasticity and strength degradation were calculated using measured values. Level of degradation of the samples was monitored before and during testing using Image Pro Plus program for image analysis. The capability of non-destructive test methods such as: ultrasonic velocity technique and image analysis for simple, and reliable non-destructive characterization are presented. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved