Hexoloy SA Silicon Carbide

Technical Data

Hexoloy® SA SiC is produced by pressureless sintering submicron silicon carbide

powder. The sintering process results in a self-bonded, fine grain (less than 10µm)
SiC product which is extremely hard, lightweight and low in porosity. The material
can be formed into complex shapes with greater than 98% theoretical density.
Hexoloy® SA SiC is highly resistant to corrosion, erosion, sliding wear, high tem-
perature and thermal shock.

Corrosion Resistance
The corrosion resistance of Hexoloy® SA SiC permits superior performance in
environments of hot gasses and liquids including strong acids and bases, even
at extremely high temperatures. The results (below) indicate that by compari-
son Hexoloy® SA SiC outperforms tungsten carbide and aluminum oxide in all
chemical categories.

The ability of Hexoloy® SA SiC to resist corrosion along with its excellent surface
finish characteristics makes it ideally suited to applications involving heat
exchangers, mechanical seal faces, valves, bearings and other mineral and
chemical processing equipment components.

Corrosion Test Results in Liquids

Test Environment* Corrosive Weight Loss (mg/cm2yr)**

Conc. Reaction Tungsten Aluminum
Reagent Hexoloy® SA Bonded SiC Carbide Oxide
(Wt%) Temp. (˚C) (No Free Si) (12% Si) (6% Co) (99%)
98% H2SO4 100 1.8 55.0 >1000 65.0
*Test Time: 125 to 300 hours of submersive testing,
50% NaOH 100 2.5 >1000 5.0 75.0 continuously stirred.

53% HF 25 <0.2 7.9 8.0 20.0 **Corrosion Weight Loss Guide:

>1000 mg/cm2 yr Completely destroyed
85% H3PO4 100 <0.2 8.8 55.0 >1000 within days.

70% HNO3 100 <0.2 0.5 >1000 7.0 100 to 999 mg/cm2 yr Not recommended for service
greater than a month
45% KOH 100 <0.2 >1000 3.0 60.0 50 to 100 mg/cm2 yr Not recommended for service
greater than one year
25% HCI 70 <0.2 0.9 85.0 72.0
10 to 49 mg/cm2 yr Caution recommended, based
10% HF plus 25 <0.2 >1000 >1000 16.0 on the specific application.
57% HNO3
0.3 to 9.9 mg/cm2 yr Recommended for long
term service
<2 mg/cm2 yr Recommended for long term
service; no corrosion, other
than as a result of surface
cleaning, was evidenced.
 Erosion Resistance

Aluminum Oxide (1% Magnesia)

200

100 Tungsten Carbide

EROSIVE WEAR (µm/h)

80 (10% Co, 4% Cr Binder)
Photomicrograph of Hexoloy® SA 60
Silicon Carbide (200x). 40
Boron Carbide
(Hot Pressed)
20
Silicon Carbide
10 (Hexoloy® SA SiC)
8
6
Tungsten Carbide
4 (5.5% Co + Cr Binder)
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
ANGLE OF IMPINGEMENT

Erosion resistance is usually associated with high hardness, i.e. high percent
theoretical density and reduction of second phase content. Hexoloy® SA SiC is 50%
harder than tungsten carbide and ten times harder than conventional stainless
steel. This extreme hardness combined with high purity and fine microstructure
makes Hexoloy® SA SiC particularly resistant to wear and erosion under mechan-
ically abrasive conditions. The results depicted in the graph are from a test run
in accordance with ASTG 76. It clearly demonstrates the superiority of Hexoloy®
SA SiC, especially at higher impingement angles.

Hexoloy® SA SiC’s excellent erosion and wear resistant properties make it ideally
suited for sand blast and spray nozzles, abrasion resistant linings and mechanical
seal and bearing surfaces.

High Temperature Properties

The single phase composition of Hexoloy® SA SiC enables it to reliably perform
in air at temperatures in excess of 1900˚C (3450˚F).

Where dimensional changes at high temperature are a concern, Hexoloy® SA

SiC has a consistently low coefficient of thermal expansion. This feature allows
design flexibility for shrink fit or leak-tight joint applications.

Oxidation resistance is also important for certain high temperature applications.

Hexoloy® SA SiC, due to its high purity and high density, is more stable in long-
term applications because it is more oxidation resistant. A protective coating of
SiO2 is formed on the surface of SiC which slows the oxidation process.
Thermal Shock
Because of its high thermal conductivity and low coefficient of thermal expan-
sion, it is very resistant to thermal shock and will survive rapid thermal cycling
as compared to other refractory materials.

Typical thermal applications include thermocouple protection tubes, kiln beams,

burner components and other furnace and high temperature applications.

Flexural Strength
FLEXURAL STRENGTH, 103 PSI

100

80

60

40

20

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
TEMPERATURE, °C

Hexoloy® SA SiC exhibits excellent strength at room temperature and maintains

that strength even at elevated temperatures as depicted above due to its single
phase fine grain structure.

Designing with Hexoloy® SA SiC

Hexoloy® SA SiC’s compressive strength is 10 times greater than its tensile
strength. This is an important consideration when designing with ceramics due
to an inability to yield and relieve stresses like metals when placed in tension.
Care should be taken to chamfer or radius all edges.

If you’d like to know more...

For more information about Hexoloy® Silicon Carbide products, or to discuss your
specific application, contact us. Our engineers will work with you to analyze
your particular requirements and determine the most cost effective solution.
 Hexoloy® SA SiC Typical Physical Properties

Property Units Typical Value

Composition* – SiC
Grain Size um 4-10
Density g/cm 3.10
2
Hardness (Knoop)** kg/mm 2800
Flexural Strength 4 pt @ RT*** MPa 380
x 103 lb/in2 55
Flexural Strength 3 pt @ RT*** MPa 550
x 103 lb/in2 80
Compressive Strength @ RT Mpa 3900
x 103 lb/in2 560
Modulus of Elasticity @ RT Gpa 410
x106 lb/in2 59
Weibull Modulus (2 parameter) 8
Poisson Ratio 0.14
1/2
Fracture Toughness @ RT MPa x m 4.60
Double torsion & SENB x103 lb/in2 x in1/2 4.20
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion x10-6 mm/mmK 4.02
RT to 700˚C x10-6 in/in ˚F 2.20
Maximum Service Temp. ˚C 1900
Air ˚F 3450
Mean Specific Heat @ RT J/gmK 0.67
Thermal Conductivity @ RT W/mK 125.6
Btu/ft h ˚F 72.6
@200˚C W/mK 102.6
Btu/ft h ˚F 59.3
@400˚C W/mK 77.5
North America Btu/ft h ˚F 44.8
Saint-Gobain Advanced Ceramics
Structural Ceramics Group Permeability @ RT-1000˚C Impervious to gases over 31 MPa
Hexoloy® Products
Electrical Resistivity @ RT**** ohm-cm 102-106
23 Acheson Drive
Niagara Falls, New York 14303 @1000˚C ohm-cm 0.01-0.2
Telephone: 716-278-6233 Emissivity 0.9
Fax: 716-278-2373
E-mail: [email protected]
*Composition code: Si = free silicon metal; ***Test Bar Size: 3 x 4 x 45 mm
www.hexoloy.com C = free graphite; SiC = silicon carbide (0.118” x 0.157” x 1.772”)

Europe **Knoop 0.1 kg load ****Dependent upon dopants in Hexoloy® SA

Saint-Gobain Advanced Ceramics GmbH SiC which will decrease electrical resistivity
Postfach 401254 • Nobelstrasse 6
41189 Monchengladbach, Germany
Phone: 49-21665-509-0 The information, recommendations and opinions set forth herein are offered solely for your consideration,
Fax: 49-21665-509-10 inquiry, and verification and are not, in part or total, to be construed as constituting a warranty or representa-
tion for which we assume legal responsibility. Nothing contained herein is to be interpreted as authorization
©2003 Saint-Gobain Advanced Ceramics to practice a patented invention without a license.
All Rights Reserved Hexoloy® is a registered trademark of Saint Gobain Advanced Ceramics
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