Complete for Machining Silicon Carbide

Silicon carbide (SiC) exhibits characteristics such as high thermal conductivity and good wear resistance. Due to its outstanding performance, there is a need of development of new materials in this direction.

Silicon Carbide, also known as Carborundum, has chemical formula "SiC". It is the only known chemical compound containing that contains Carbon and silicon. It was primarily produced by a high temperature electro-chemical reaction of sand and carbon. It is an excellent abrasive material, that has been developed into a high quality ceramic with very good mechanical properties. It has a wide range application as abrasives, ceramics, and refractories with numerous high-performance applications. It is produced by the carbo-thermal reduction of silica to form an covalently bonded material. It is extremely rare in compound in nature, but can be extracted from Moissanite ore.

Different Types of Silicon Carbide

There are different variants of the compound available, however, clay bonded silicon carbide and bonded silicon carbide is the most commonly found.

Silicon Carbide Products are produced in Three Forms:

Sintered silicon carbide

Nitride bonded silicon carbide

Reaction bonded silicon carbide

There is also another form called CVD i.e. chemical vapor deposited silicon carbide, it is also an extremely pure form of the compound.

The Structure of Silicon Carbide

The structure of silicon carbide contains covalently bonded tetrahedron structure of either CSi4 or SiC4. It has purely covalent character, showing simplest structures as that of diamond structure, known as SiC.

Properties of Silicon Carbide

The refractive index of SiC is greater than diamond. It shows the properties of high thermal conductivity and low thermal expansion coefficient. Both these properties together provide SiC as an outstanding thermal shock resistance material. It is well-known for its extreme hardness and corrosion resistance. Due to its electrical properties, it is also a very good semiconductor conductor material.

Key Properties Includes:

Low density.

High strength.

Low thermal expansion.

Excellent thermal shock resistance.

Superior chemical inertness.

High thermal conductivity

High hardness

High elastic modulus

Synthesis & Machining process of Silicon Carbide:

The acheson process is used for producing SiC. This process involves heating silica sand with carbon to high temperatures. The furnace used is an Acheson graphite resistance furnace. SiC is produced in the form of Fine powder or a bonded mass in crushed and milled feedstock. Once the powder form is achieved, the grains of the compound can be bonded together using sintering process. It is used to form a very useful engineering ceramic, for manufacturing industries.

The Machining Silicon Carbide requires diamond grinding techniques. It is a relatively brittle material and can only be machined using high precision engineering components.

It is also suggested that machining process should be performed under the guidance of skilled and experienced machinist, because incorrect procedures can lead to severe damage. At times SiC, enclose sub-surface damages and micro-cracks leading to premature failure of the component. There are many uses of SiC in different industries. Its physical hardness makes it ideal for abrasive machining processes like grinding, sand blasting and water jet cutting.

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