Effect of the Different High Volume Fraction of SiC Particles on the Junction of Bismuthate Glass-SiC(p)/Al Composite

The in-house developed bismuthate glass and the SiC(p)/Al composites with different volume fractions of SiC particles (namely, 60 vol.%, 65 vol.%, 70 vol.%, and 75 vol.%) were jointed by vacuum hot-pressing process. The novel material can be used for the space mirror. The SiCp is an abbreviation for SiC particle. Firstly, the SiC(p)/Al composites with different vol.% of SiC particle were manufactured by using infiltration process. In order to obtain a stable bonding interface, the preoxide layers were fabricated on the surfaces of these composites for reacting with the bismuthate glass. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) was carried out for characterizing the difference between the composites and bismuthate glass. The sealing quality of the composites and the bismuthate glass was quantified by using shear strength testing. The optical microstructures showed the particles were uniformly distributed in the Al matrix. The SEM image shows that a smooth oxidation layer was generated on the SiC(p)/Al composite. The CTE testing result indicated that the higher the vol.% of the particles in the composite, the lower the CTE value. The shear strength testing result disclosed that SiC(p)/Al composite with relatively low CTE value was favorable to obtain a bonding interface with high strength.