Fracture toughness and flexural strength of chemically vapor-deposited silicon carbide as determined using chevron-notched and surface crack in flexure specimens

Two different techniques used to measure the fracture toughness of silicon carbide (SiC) produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are compared, and the influence of the material growth direction on toughness and flexural strength are evaluated. Fracture toughness values for monolithic CVD SiC are found to be independent of the CVD growth direction and test temperature from ambient to 1100 degreesC with values ranging from 2.8 to 5.5 MPa.m(1/2). This isotropic nature is notably different from hot-pressed alpha-SiC and is likely a result of the cubic beta-SiC structure produced by the CVD process and the transgranular fracture mode. The range of fracture toughness results obtained using a chevron-notched specimen (2.8-4.0 MPa.m(1/2)) was less than values obtained using a surface crack in flexure method (3.7-5.5 MPa.m(1/2)), and these differences are statistically significant. These differences can be attributed to difficulties in resolving the true precrack size for the surface crack in the flexure specimen. Flexural strength values for monolithic CVD SiC are found to be isotropic with respect to the CVD growth direction from room temperature to 1090 degreesC, as observed for the fracture toughness values. Flexural strength values measured at 1090 degreesC are significantly higher (69% to 10% higher) than those measured at room temperature, while the modulus measured at 1090 degreesC is less (-25% to -10% lower) than that measured at room temperature. Since the fracture toughness values are independent of temperature between room temperature and 1090 degreesC, the increased flexural strength at elevated temperature is difficult to explain on the basis of classical fracture mechanics and must be influenced by other factors. Surface machining flaws on flexure specimens are shown to produce a 35% to 50% decrease in the flexure strength of monolithic CVD SiC that was quantified using the fracture toughness and flaw-size data.