{TAIL ~ 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 {HEAD ~ SiC} greater than about 94 wt % is made possible through the use of metallic Al to promote sintering and grain growth 
{ TAIL ~ 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 { HEAD ~ SiC } greater than about 94 wt % is made possible through the use of metallic Al to promote sintering and grain growth
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