Effects of thermal environments on the thermal shock resistance of ultra-high temperature ceramics

In the present study, the temperature-dependent thermal shock resistance parameter of Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics (UHTCs) was measured based on the current evaluation theories of thermal shock resistance parameters, since the material parameters of UHTCs are very sensitive to the changes of temperature. The influence of some important thermal environment parameters on the thermal shock resistance and critical temperature difference of rupture of UHTCs were studied. By establishing the relation between the temperature and the thermal or mechanical properties of the UHTCs, we found that thermal shock behavior of UHTCs is strongly affected by the surface heat transfer coefficient, heat transfer condition and initial temperature of the thermal shock.