Fig. 1. Temperature dependence of the thermal diffusivity (a, b) and thermal conductivity (c, d) of U₃Si₂ pellets in the range 27~700 ℃

Fig. 2. SEM images of the indentations on the surfaces of the U₃Si₂ pellets (a) SPS-4 with plastic deformation, (b) SPS-4 with brittle fracture, (c) SPS-1 with brittle fracture, (d) testing area of SPS-5

Fig. 3. Hardness of U₃Si₂ pellets versus the indentation depth (a) 4 pellets prepared under different dwell temperatures at 60 MPa, (b) 2 pellets prepared under different pressures at 1 100 ℃, (c⁓h) H²-1/h curves of 6 U₃Si₂ pellets corresponding to (a) and (b)

Fig. 4. Hardness and fracture toughness of U₃Si₂ pellets against dwell temperature (a) and pressure (b), Young's modulus of the pellets against dwell temperature (c) and pressure (d)