Reviewing the effect of oxidizing sintering aids on sinterability behavior of boron carbide composites (B4C)

Boron carbide because of properties such as high hardness, high Young's modulus and low density is highly regarded, however due to difficulties in sintering ability, low fracture toughness and low oxidation resistance at temperatures greater than 1000 ° C, its application is limited relatively. Obtaining a high-density boron carbide by conventional methods is very difficult and costly because of the high melting point, covalently bonded, its low self-diffusion and high vapor pressure. Many of researches have been done to improve the sintering condition by different methods and using various kinds of sintering aids. It is often observed that small amounts of oxides have been more effective on sintering improvement of non-oxidizing ceramics. In this paper, the effect of different oxidizing sintering aids has been reported on sintering behavior and mechanical properties of boron carbide.