Investigation of the Process of Formation of Hafnium Carbide on Carbon-Carbon Composite Material in the System HfCl4–CH4–Ar

Abstract

The first stage in the development of the technique for producing thin coatings of hafnium carbide on carbon-carbon composite material (CCCM) surfaces at relatively low synthesis temperatures for reducing the arising thermal stresses is presented. The process of formation of hafnium carbide on the surface of CCCM in the HfCl₄–CH₄–Ar system was investigated at 1050°C and atmospheric pressure. The rate of sublimation of hafnium (IV) chloride was studied at different flow rates of the carrier. Histograms showing the particle size distributions of hafnium carbide particles were constructed. A polydisperse distribution of particles on the surface of the CCCM was established with two maxima for the average diameters of 5.4 μm and 295 nm.