Silicon Carbide

Vulcan Seals has over 30 years’ expertise with quality and reliable products, available from our stock guarantee or to suit your specific requirements. Our manufacturing facilities have been audited and certified to ISO 9001.2015 and our distribution operations are examined.

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Silicon Carbide (SiC) has exceptional properties, including high hardness, high thermal conductivity, high chemical and thermal stability, wide bandgap, excellent electrical properties, lightweight, and biocompatibility. These qualities make SiC a highlysought-after material in various industries, including abrasives, refractory materials, electronics, automotive and aerospace, coatings, and medical implants.

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We understand the importance of using quality and reliable materials therefore we have 5 different grades of Silicon Carbide for your specific requirement.

1) Sintered Silicon Carbide with Graphite (VSG1)

VSG1 is graphite blended with graphite, and has improved tribological properties compared to VSS1 to further improve running efficiency. This is useful to increase seal life in applications with volatile and low boiling point fluids that poorly lubricate the seal faces. This material has a black flecked appearance.

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Features & Benefits

• Pure with no additive
• Rougher surface finish and fine-grain
• Higher strength
• Superb chemical resistance

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Suitable Applications

Used in tribological systems with heavy loads.

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2) Porous Sintered Silicon Carbide (VSP1)

VSP1 is VSS1 with an increased surface roughness. These pores are visual, and the material has a grey flecked appearance. This rough surface finish has the benefit of trapping a lubricant film between the seal faces and increasing seal life in poor lubrication fluids such as ice, slurries, lubricating oil with gas dispersion and glycol mixtures. The helium light band flatness of the material is the same as non-porous Silicon Carbide grades.

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Features & Benefits

• Increased surface roughness
• Visual grey flecked pores of 30- 150 μm.
• Higher strength
• Superb chemical resistance‍

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Suitable Applications

The cavities in this material can contain fluid between tracking faces, giving this material superb emergency-running properties in instances of compromised lubrication.

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3) Porous Sintered Silicon Carbide with Graphite (VSG2)

VSG2 is a combination of the advanced tribological features of VSG1 with the fluid trapping abilities of VSP1, to provide a superior performing face material with applications with volatile and low boiling point fluids that poorly lubricate the seal faces.

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Features & Benefits

• Advanced tribological properties
• Fluid trapping abilities
• Pores of 30-150 μm are distributed through the microstructure‍

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Suitable Applications

Hot pressurised water for heating services and boiler feed are good examples of this.

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4) Sintered Silicon Carbide (VSS1)

VSS1 is pure Silicon Carbide with no additives. This has the best chemical resistance within our range of Silicon Carbide grades, but has a rougher surface finish than VSR1 so is slightly less efficient on regular water pump duties compared to VSR1.

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Features & Benefits

• Improved tribological properties
• Reduced friction
• Extended seal life
• Scattered Carbon particles of 50-100 μm are distributed through the microstructure‍

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Suitable Applications

Utilised in high-end applications where extra durability and performance is required.

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5) Reaction Bonded Silicon Carbide (VSR1)

VSR1 is the industrial standard silicon carbide grade, suitable for the majority of applications. It has excellent wear resistance and a very fine surface finish. This fine surface finish and wear resistance make VSR1 a highly effective and efficient sealing material.

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Features & Benefits

• Very fine surface finish
• Excellent chemical resistance
• Outstanding thermal shock resistance
• Highly effective and efficient sealing material

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Suitable Applications

An all-round reaction bonded Carbide with good chemical resistance, low specific density and outstanding thermal shock resistance. It is suitable for many applications: mechanical seals, bushes, bearings, nozzles, valves, heat exchangers and many more.