Application of Boron Carbide Ceramics

By utilizing the ultra-high hardness of B4C, various sandblasting nozzles can be made using it for the sandblasting heads of ship rust removal sandblasting machines, which has a lifespan several tens of times longer than using alumina sandblasting heads. The nozzle used for surface sandblasting treatment in aluminum products is also made of B4C, and its service life can reach more than one month. Generally speaking, superhard materials have good wear resistance, and B4C is also a good material for mechanical seal rings, which can be used for bearings, axles, high-pressure nozzles, etc.

Secondly, utilizing the neutron absorption property of isotope B in B4C, B4C ceramic components for nuclear reactor control are developed. The control of nuclear reactors is implemented through electrical control, which requires high neutron absorption capacity, i.e. high neutron absorption cross-section, high temperature resistance, and radiation resistance. Generally, sintered B4C ceramics containing B10 are selected, which are sintered or hot pressed at 1900-2000 ℃. Its relative density is 0.95. If there are too many residual pores, storing reaction gases under radiation will cause gas expansion and damage. Therefore, B4C should be as dense as possible, and the higher the strength, the better.

B10 accounts for only 19.9% by mass in natural boron, while enriched B10 can reach 99% by mass. Therefore, using enriched B10 to prepare B4C can greatly improve neutron absorption capacity. B4C, as a neutron absorbing material, can be packaged in stainless steel cladding in powder or pellet form to form control rods or shielding elements for nuclear reactors. It is mostly used in thermal neutron reactors, but also in fast neutron reactors. Due to its superhard and low density, B4C has been used as a lightweight bulletproof material for bulletproof vests or armor in foreign countries for a long time. In recent years, progress has also been made in using it to composite armor with high-strength nylon materials. B4C has many excellent properties, but its high densification temperature, high energy consumption, and high preparation cost limit its application expansion. And some of its unique properties have prompted people to strive to explore its applications, minimize its cost, and compete with other high-tech ceramics.