Abstract
The corrosion behavior of sintered silicon carbide (SiC) was examined in saturated water vapor at 300°C and the results were compared with those in 300°C water environment. Significant intergranular corrosion occured in the water vapor. The weight loss of the samples exposed to the water vapor was larger than that in the water. In the water vapor environment, scales, such as amorphous SiO2, did not form on the surface. This fact suggestes that volatile species, such as Si(OH)4 were produced. The flexural strength of the samples exposed to both the environments for 10 days reduced to about 80% of the initial strength.
