The fabrication process and mechanical properties of SiC particle prefrrms with high volume fraction ranged 50∼71% were investigated to make metal matrix composites for possible applications as heat sinks in electronic packares. The SiC particle preforms with 50∼71vol% of reinforcement were fabricated by a new modified process named ball milling and pressing method. The SiC particle performs were fabricated by ball milling of SiC particles with single sized of 48m in diameter or two different size of 8m and 48min diameter, with collodal SiO2 as inorgnic binder in distilled water, and the mixed slurries were cold pressed for consolidation into final prefom. The compressive strengths og calcined SiC particle prefoms increased from 20MPa to 155MPa with increasing the content of inorganis binder, temperature and time for calcination. The increase of compressive strength of SiC particle bridge the interfaces of two neighboring SiC particles.

The fabrication process and properties of SiC particulate preforms with high volume fraction above 50% were investigated. The SiC particulate preforms were fabricated by vacuum-assisted extraction method after wet mixing of SiC particulates of 48 in diameter, as inorganic binder, cationic starch as organic binder and polyacrylamide as dispersant in distilled water. The SiC particulate preforms were consolidated by vacuum-assisted extraction, and were followed by drying and calcination. The drying processes were consisted with natural drying at for 36 hrs and forced drying at 10 for 12 hrs in order to prevent the micro-cracking of SiC particulates preform. The compressive strengths of SiC particulate preforms were dependent on the inorganic binder content, calcination temperature and calcination time. The compressive strength of SiC preform increased from 0.47 MPa to 1.79 MPa with increasing the inorganic binder content from 1% to 4% due to the increase of flocculant between the interfaces of SiC particulates. The compressive strength of SiC preform increased from 0.90 MPa to 3.21 MPa with increasing the calcination temperatures from 800 to 120 under identical calcination time of 4hrs. The compressive strength of SiC preform increased from 0.92 to 1.95 MPa with increasing the calcination time from 2 hrs to f hrs at calcination temperature of 110. The increase of compressive strength of SiC preform with increasing the calcination temperature and time is due to the formation of crystobalite phase at the interfaces of SiC particulates.