Pressureless sintering of silicon carbide with fracture toughness in excess of about 4 MPa m1/2 as measured by the single edge precracked beam technique while maintaining a density greater than 3.1 g/cc for compositions with SiC greater than about 94 wt % is made possible through the use of {HEAD ~ metallic Al} to promote {TAIL ~ sintering and grain growth} 
to promote
Pressureless sintering of silicon carbide with fracture toughness in excess of about 4 MPa m1/2 as measured by the single edge precracked beam technique while maintaining a density greater than 3.1 g / cc for compositions with SiC greater than about 94 wt % is made possible through the use of { HEAD ~ metallic Al } to promote { TAIL ~ sintering and grain growth }
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