Production of ultrahigh temperature composite materials HfB2-SiC and the study of their behavior under the action of a dissociated air flow

Ultrahigh temperature composite materials HfB2-SiC containing 25, 35, and 45 vol % SiC were produced by spark plasma sintering. Modeling of heating under the action of a dissociated air flow for selected samples using a VGU-4 induction plasma generator showed that these materials do not degrade even while keeping at a surface temperature of more than 2000°C (up to 2600°C) for 11 min. A combination of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (with EDX analysis), and X-ray computed microtomography were used for investigating the microstructure and composition of the oxidized layer before and after heating.