PRODUCTION OF ZRC BASED ULTRA HIGH TEMPERATURE CERAMIC COMPOSITE POWDERS BY METALLOTHERMIC METHOD

Although material science is advanced at present time, new technological developments require new generation and different materials that are commercially not available in global market. In order to make long distance space journeys possible in near future, innovation of multipurpose and reusable ceramic composite materials for at high temperature environments are needed. Ceramics that are useable at elevated temperatures as high as 2300？C are called Ultra high temperature ceramics (UHTC). In this study, the processing of UHTCs based on ZrC/ZrB2/SiC/Al2O3 ceramic composite that has high melting point, chemical and thermal stability, at the laboratory conditions was investigated using zircon, boric acid, carbon and aluminium powders. Aluminothermic method was chosen, the starting mixtures and the obtained reaction products were analysed using SEM, XRD, XRF and TG/DTA analysis methods. The experimental results showed that, the obtained sample consists of ZrB2/ZrC as a matrix phases