Large sized SiC based wear, corrosion and thermal shock resistant ceramics produced by thixotropic casting technology

Manufacturing large sized structural ceramics is quite challenging, especially for wear, corrosion and thermal shock resistance applications, when monolithic complex shapes, such as cyclones, pipes, cones, elbows and other components with sufficient wall thickness (up to 50–75 mm), are required. Shaping from thixotropic slurries containing particles of various sizes allows processing complex large sized (up to 1 m diameter and height) components for structural applications. This versatile technology that does not require expensive and complicated equipment was successfully applied for manufacturing silicon carbide based large size ceramic components. Heterogeneous SiC based ceramics with additives, such as Al2O3, Si3N4, mullite and some others, have been developed and commercially manufactured using thixotropic casting. The developed composition and processing are based on the oxide bonding mechanism. The structure and some physical properties of SiC based ceramics, e.g. wear resistance, are described. The manufactured components are successfully used for the mentioned applications in mineral, mining, oil and gas processes, power generation, metallurgy and some other areas. This paper summarises the principles of formation of oxide bonded SiC based ceramic large size components using thixotropic casting, which is the result of the development and processing of obtained ceramics in industrial conditions conducted during a number of years and their industrial applications.