Method and components for bonding a silicon carbide molded part to

Abstract

A layer of titanium carbosilicide Ti.sub.3 SiC.sub.2 on a silicon carbide surface polished for making a joint makes it possible to join silicon carbide bodies together in a hot pressing procedure and obtaining a joint strength comparable to the strength of the silicon carbide material. Such a layer on silicon carbide also makes possible brazed juoints with steel alloy or nickel based alloy parts. The layer may be applied directly by a powder dispersion in a volatile but viscous glycol or by sputtering or else the layer can be made in place from a powder mixture of components, especially TiC.sub.0,8 and Tisi.sub.2 (5:1) or a titanium layer of a thickness in the range of 1 to 3 .mu.m that reacts with the silicon carbide surface. When silicon carbide parts are joined together, the heating up to make the joint also serves to convert a titanium layer into titanium carbosilicide. When silicon carbide is to be joined with metal, a preliminary heating step is necessary to at first convert a powder mixture or a titanium layer on the silicon carbide surface to Ti.sub.3 SiC.sub.2. Alternatively a Ti.sub.3 SiC.sub. 2 surface layer can be formed by a sputtering process. The Ti.sub.3 SiC.sub.2 layer favors brazing of the metal part to the silicon carbide surface as treated. The heating requires reaching a temperature in the region from 1200.degree. to 1600.degree. C. for periods between a half hour to about three hours in the presence of a reducing protective gas.