The goal of this study was to synthesize monolithic SiC tubes to improve sealing of the SiC / SiC composite of a nuclear fuel cladding structure. Tubes of 8 mm inner diameter and several hundred micrometers in thickness have been produced by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) from a mixture CH3SiHCl2/H2. The method has been developed so as to produce continuous SiC tubes of up to thirty centimeters long. The chemical composition and microstructure of the tubes were determined by microprobe, Raman spectroscopy, XRD and electron microscopy (SEM, TEM). The mechanical properties of the tubes were characterized by nanoindentation tests and through compression C -ring . The thermomechanical behavior was also studied. The method includes consideration of a thermokinetic study , followed by a gas phase analysis by IRTF and 2D modeling of the reactor.
