Abstract Scope |
Ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) are ideal materials for extreme environmental applications, but their manufacturing plays a significant role in optimizing their properties. Slip-casting, a colloidal processing technique, is known to produce high particle packing and near-net-shape ceramics, to create high-density final ceramics. This research provides insights into the effect of slip-casting parameters on dense zirconium diboride (ZrB2) properties. The parameters studied include suspension solid concentration, sample geometry, and casting direction. Cylinders, rectangular cuboids, and bars were prepared with different solid concentrations, from 20 to 50 vol%, and then pressureless sintered at 2100 oC for 1h. Samples were characterized using Archimedes’s method, scanning electron microscopy, and mechanical testing. The interplay between slip-casting driving mechanism, green and sintered density and microstructure, geometry effect, and mechanical properties of ZrB₂ ceramics is discussed. The outcome of this work enhances the understanding of consolidation mechanisms and material properties when manufacturing large and complex-shaped UHTCs. |