Processes and methods of making boron carbide and boron carbide components

Abstract

High-density components and products as well as processes for making high-density components and products are disclosed. One exemplary component, among others, includes a boron carbide component comprised of a homogeneous boron carbide powder. The component has at least a 93% relative density (RD) and a Vickers hardness of at least 2000 kg/mm 2 .

1 . A process for making a high-density component, comprising:
 forming a boron carbide green body from boron carbide powder that does not include a sintering additive;   heating the green body in a furnace at 1100 to 1400° C. in vacuum;   substantially sintering the green body by pressureless sintering without the sintering additive by heating the furnace to about 2300 to 2400° C. at about 50 to 150° C./min to obtain a sintered component having at least a 93% relative density and a Vickers hardness of about at least 2000 kg/mm 2 .   
   
   
       2 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 treating the sintered component using hot isostatic pressing to obtain a hot isostatic pressed product having at least a 99% relative density and a Vickers hardness of at least about 2500 kg/mm 2 .   
   
   
       3 . The process of  claim 2 , wherein the hot isostatic pressed product has at least a 99.8% RD. 
   
   
       4 . The process of  claim 2 , wherein the treating the sintered component using hot isostatic pressing includes:
 heating a hot isostatic pressing furnace to about 2000 to 2300° C. in an inert gas at a pressure of about 200 to 500 Mpa at about 10 to 100° C./min, wherein the sintered component is disposed in the hot isostatic pressing furnace;   soaking the sintered component in the hot isostatic pressing furnace for about 60 to 400 minutes; and   cooling the hot isostatic pressing furnace to about room temperature at about 10 to 50° C./min.   
   
   
       5 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising heating the green body in a furnace at 1100° C.-1400° C. in the presence of H 2 /He gas mixture prior to the heating in vacuum. 
   
   
       6 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein substantially sintering comprises:
 substantially sintering the boron carbide green body by pressureless sintering without sintering additives by heating the furnace at about 100° C./min.   
   
   
       7 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the component has at least a 94.7% relative density and a Vickers hardness of about at least 2300 kg/mm 2 . 
   
   
       8 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the component has at least a 96.6% relative density and a Vickers hardness of about at least 2110 kg/mm 2 . 
   
   
       9 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the component has at least a 97.1% relative density and a Vickers hardness of about at least 2300 kg/mm 2 .