Composites of carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (Cf/SiC) with ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) exhibit superior resistance to oxidation and ablation under high temperatures. Components in large-scale applications often have complex geometries, making it crucial to understand the oxidation and ablation behaviors of curved and non-uniform surfaces. In this study, a Cf/SiC-ZrB2 composite was fabricated into a 300 mm cylindrical shape using filament winding and liquid silicon infiltration processes. The resulting specimens exhibited a uniform microstructure, with SiC and ZrB2 crystals evenly distributed across the top and bottom surfaces, demonstrating the feasibility of producing large-scale composites. The specimens underwent an oxyacetylene torch test at 2,100 K for 5 min to assess their ablation and oxidation performance. The results revealed significant variation in the oxide layer due to the non-flat surface, with the layer thickness gradually decreasing as the oblique angle was reduced. Additionally, the presence of high-melting-point ZrO2 in the oxide layer near the torch center was attributed to the migration and solidification of molten SiO2. This suggests that large and complex Cf/SiC incorporating UHTCs can effectively form a protective oxide layer, even under conditions where SiO2 displacement occurs. The findings underscore the importance of integrating geometric considerations into the design of ultra-high temperature ceramic composites to achieve the thermal and ablation resistance required for advanced high-temperature applications.

In this work, the ablation behavior of monolith ZrB2-30 vol%SiC (Z30S) composites were studied under various oxy-acetylene flame angles. Typical oxidized microstructures (SiO2/SiC-depleted/ZrB2-SiC) were observed when the flame to Z30S was arranged vertically. However, formation of the outmost glassy SiO2 layer was hindered when the Z30S was tilted. The SiC-depleted region was fully exposed to air with reduced thickness when highly tilted. Traces of the ablated and island type SiO2 were observed at intermediate flame angles, which clearly verified the effect of flame angle on the ablation of the SiO2 layer. Furthermore, the observed maximum surface temperature of the Z30S gradually increased up to 2,200 °C proving that surface amorphous silica was continuously removed while monoclinic ZrO2 phase began to be exposed. A proposed ablation mechanism with respect to flame angles is discussed. This observation is expected to contribute to the design of complex-shaped UHTC applications for hypersonic vehicles and re-entry projectiles.