Effect of fiber characteristics on fracture behavior of Cf/SiC composites

C f/SiC composites were prepared by precursor pyrolysis hot pressing, and the effect of fiber characteristics on the fracture behavior of the composites was investigated. Because the heat treatment temperature of fiber T300 (below 1?500?℃) was much lower than that of fiber M40JB (over 2?000?℃), fiber T300 had lower degree of graphitization and consisted of more impurities compared with fiber M40JB, suggesting that T300 exhibits higher chemical activity. As a result, the composite with T300 showed a brittle fracture behavior, which is mainly ascribed to a strongly bonded fiber/matrix interface as well as the degradation of fibers during the preparation of the composite. However, the composite with M40JB exhibits a tough fracture behavior, which is primarily attributed to a weakly bonded fiber/matrix interface and higher strength retention of the fibers.