Micro-mechanical properties of a novel silicon nitride fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix composite via in situ nano-indentation method

A novel Si(3)N(4) fiber reinforced SiC matrix composite has been prepared and the micro-mechanical properties of the composites in situ have been explored. For the Si(3)N(4) fibers, the micro-mechanical properties in situ remained almost unchanged with the increasing fabrication temperatures. In comparison, for the PCS derived SiC matrix, higher fabrication temperature could trigger more β-SiC formations, which led to enlarging the corresponding micro-mechanical properties. The microstructure analysis of the interfacial zones in the composites revealed strong interfacial reactions existing in the composites fabricated at ≥800 °C. Therefore, the interfacial shear strength of the composite was significantly increased from ∼420 MPa to ∼535 MPa with the fabrication temperature increasing from 800 °C to 1200 °C, thus impeding the toughening mechanisms of the composites. After introducing BN interphase, the interfacial shear strength was significantly reduced to ∼140 MPa and the flexural strength was increased from ∼140 MPa to ∼250 MPa. The work highlights the efficiency of introducing BN interphase to weaken the interfacial interaction, thus to enhance the macro-mechanical properties.