Patent ID: 8475907

Claim:
A silicon carbide-containing porous body comprising a plurality of silicon carbide (SiC) particles as an aggregate and a plurality of binding phases comprising a crystal phase having the largest volume and a crystal phase having the second largest volume, which bind the silicon carbide particles to each other, wherein of the binding phases, the crystal phase having the largest volume is either one of a Si phase, or a metal silicide phase made of at least one member selected from the group consisting of a Ti silicide, a Zr silicide, a Mo silicide and a W silicide, all having a linear thermal expansion coefficient at 40 to 800° C., higher than that of Si by at least 3×10-6 (° C. −1 ), the crystal phase having the second largest volume is the other of the Si phase, or the metal silicide phase made of at least one member selected from the group consisting of a Ti silicide, a Zr silicide, a Mo silicide and a W silicide, all having a linear thermal expansion coefficient at 40 to 800° C., higher than that of Si by at least 3×10-6 (° C. −1 ), the content of the binder constituting the binding phases, which is calculated by the following formula: 100×binder/(silicon carbide particles+binder) is 5 to 60% by volume, and the binding phases contain the Si phase by 20 to 80% by volume of the total binding phases, and the metal silicide phase by 20 to 80% by volume of the total binding phases.