Advancement of Oxide Bonded Porous SiC Ceramics

Silicon carbide is an important non-oxide ceramic material used in wide range of industrial
applications due to its exclusive properties such as high hardness and strength, chemical and thermal
stability, high melting point, oxidation resistance, high erosion resistance, etc. All of these qualities
make SiC a perfect candidate for various applications. A variety of processing techniques are tried to
develop porous SiC ceramics starting from traditional Acheson method, which led largely into
commercialization of silicon carbide. The fabrication of porous SiC ceramics by an oxidation bonding
technique offers several advantages like good oxidation resistance because of air sintering of the
ceramics, low sintering temperature, cost effectiveness and easy control over the porosity and other
properties of the resultant ceramics. In this chapter, a brief summary is given on the effect of pore
former, powder size, sintering temperature and sintering additives on the properties of the oxide
bonded porous SiC ceramics with emphasis on mechanical properties, thermal shock resistance
properties, gas permeability behavior and separation of particulate from off gas. This chapter has also
enlightened the present use of oxide bonded porous SiC ceramics and discussed about the possible
future scope in other application areas.