Effect of Oxynitride Grain Boundary Phase on Toughening of Silicon Nitride Ceramics

2006 ◽  
Vol 317-318 ◽  
pp. 649-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takafumi Kusunose ◽  
Tohru Sekino ◽  
P.E.D. Mogan ◽  
Koichi Niihara
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Silicon Nitride ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Hot Pressing ◽  
Boundary Phase ◽  
Toughening Mechanism ◽  
Nitride Ceramics

The Si3N4/YSiO2N composite in which crystalline YSiO2N was formed as grain boundary phase was fabricated by hot-pressing the mixture of SiO2, Si3N4 and Y2O3. The fracture toughness of this composite was significantly improved, compared to the Si3N4 composites containing Y5Si3O12N or Y2Si3O3N4 as a grain boundary phases. To clarify the toughening mechanism, the microstructure and the crack propagation profiles were observed.

Silicon Nitride Ceramics with Sodium Ion Conductive Grain Boundary Phase

2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 2752-2755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirokazu Kawaoka ◽  
Tohru Sekino ◽  
Takafumi Kusunose ◽  
Koichi Niihara
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Silicon Nitride ◽  
Ionic Conductivity ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Sodium Ion ◽  
Boundary Phase ◽  
Structural Ceramics ◽  
Silicon Nitride Ceramic ◽  
Nitride Ceramics ◽  
Conductive Particles

Sodium ion-conductive silicon nitride ceramic with Na2O–Al2O3–SiO2 glass as the grain boundary phase was fabricated by adding Na2CO3, Al2O3, and SiO2 as sintering additives. The electrical conductivity was two and four orders of magnitude higher than that of Si3N4 ceramic with Y2O3 and Al2O3 additives at 100 and 1000°C, respectively. This result clearly indicates that ionic conductivity can be provided to insulating structural ceramics by modification of the grain boundary phase without dispersion of conductive particles.

scholarly journals The Influence of Microstructure on the Mechanical Behavior of Silicon Nitride Ceramics

1992 ◽  
Vol 287 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. F. Becher ◽  
H. T. Lin ◽  
S. L. Hwang ◽  
M. J. Hoffmann ◽  
I-Wei Chen
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Silicon Nitride ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Interfacial Debonding ◽  
Considerable Improvement ◽  
Boundary Phase ◽  
Transgranular Fracture ◽  
Silicon Nitrides ◽  
Crack Wake ◽  
Nitride Ceramics

The introduction of elongated silicon nitride grains during densification in the presence of a liquid phase can impart considerable improvement to the fracture toughness. This toughening is not universally attained but depends on the activation of intergranular rather than transgranular fracture. This is reminiscent of the requirement of interfacial debonding in whiskerreinforced ceramics. In fact, additional observations such as bridging in the crack wake by elongated grains and pullout of some of these grains further suggest that the crack wake mechanisms that contribute to the toughening of whisker-reinforced ceramics can also operate in silicon nitrides containing elongated grains. Various investigators have found that, consistent with crack wake mechanisms, the fracture toughness of silicon nitrides increases with increase in the diameter of the larger elongated grains. However, little is known about the effects of the grain boundary phase(s) and their properties on the interfacial debonding/intergranular fracture in such silicon nitrides. This is critical as observations show that crack propagation in some systems exhibiting larger elongated grains occurs transgranularly and no toughening occurs.

Microstructure and microanalysis of silicon nitride ceramics in the Y-Si-Al-O-N and Y-Si-O-N systems

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 1072-1073
Author(s):  
Michael K. Cinibulk
Keyword(s):  
Silicon Nitride ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Grain Boundary Sliding ◽  
Liquid Phase Sintering ◽  
Boundary Phase ◽  
Full Density ◽  
High Temperature Strength ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Structural Applications ◽  
Nitride Ceramics

Silicon nitride ceramics are among the leading candidate materials for use in structural applications at high temperatures. Due to the highly covalent nature of the Si-N bond and therefore low self-diffusivity, processing Si3N4 to full density requires the use of additives to provide a medium for liquid-phase sintering. When exposed to temperatures above ∼1000°C the resulting amorphous grain-boundary phases soften, leading to grain-boundary sliding and the eventual failure of the ceramic. The objectives of this work were to modify the grain-boundary phase composition and then attempt to devitrify the resulting intergranular phase to a refractory crystalline phase, producing a sintered Si3N4 with improved high-temperature strength and oxidation resistance. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize these materials. This paper describes these results.

Crack propagation in silicon nitride ceramics under various temperatures and grain boundary toughness

2015 ◽  
Vol 632 ◽  
pp. 58-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sai Wei ◽  
Lukas W. Porz ◽  
Zhipeng Xie ◽  
Bin Liu ◽  
Juan Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Silicon Nitride ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Nitride Ceramics

Effect of Grain Boundary Phase on Contact Damage Resistance of Silicon Nitride Ceramics

2005 ◽  
Vol 287 ◽  
pp. 421-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chul Seung Lee ◽  
Kee Sung Lee ◽  
Shi Woo Lee ◽  
Do Kyung Kim
Keyword(s):  
Silicon Nitride ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Grain Morphology ◽  
Boundary Phase ◽  
Contact Damage ◽  
Damage Resistance ◽  
Intergranular Phase ◽  
Nitride Ceramics ◽  
Damage Response ◽  
Different Types

Contact damage resistances of silicon nitride ceramics with various grain boundary phases are investigated in this study. The grain boundary phases are controlled by the addition of different types of sintering additives, or the crystallization of intergranular phase in a silicon nitride. We control the microstructures of materials to have similar grain sizes and the same phases to each other. Contact testing with spherical indenters is used to characterize the damage response. The implication is that the grain boundary phase can be another controllable factor against contact damage and strength degradation even though it is not critical relative to the effect of grain morphology.

Examination of Fracture Interfaces in Silicon Nitride

1975 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 60-61
Author(s):  
Nancy J. Tighe
Keyword(s):  
Silicon Nitride ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Crack Growth ◽  
Subcritical Crack Growth ◽  
Slow Crack Growth ◽  
Ceramic Materials ◽  
Grain Boundary Sliding ◽  
Boundary Phase ◽  
Turbine Engines ◽  
Boundary Sliding

Silicon nitride is one of the ceramic materials being considered for the components in gas turbine engines which will be exposed to temperatures of 1000 to 1400°C. Test specimens from hot-pressed billets exhibit flexural strengths of approximately 50 MN/m2 at 1000°C. However, the strength degrades rapidly to less than 20 MN/m2 at 1400°C. The strength degradition is attributed to subcritical crack growth phenomena evidenced by a stress rate dependence of the flexural strength and the stress intensity factor. This phenomena is termed slow crack growth and is associated with the onset of plastic deformation at the crack tip. Lange attributed the subcritical crack growth tb a glassy silicate grain boundary phase which decreased in viscosity with increased temperature and permitted a form of grain boundary sliding to occur.

Effect of α/β phase ratio on microstructure and mechanical properties of silicon nitride ceramics

2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 2264-2270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirokazu Kawaoka ◽  
Tomohiko Adachi ◽  
Tohru Sekino ◽  
Yong-Ho Choa ◽  
Lian Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Silicon Nitride ◽  
Phase Ratio ◽  
Phase Content ◽  
Sintering Process ◽  
Β Phase ◽  
Nitride Ceramics ◽  
Pulse Electric ◽  
Sintering Condition ◽  
Sintered Materials

Highly densed silicon nitride ceramics with various α/β phase ratios were produced by pulse electric current sintering process. The β-phase content of Si3N4 in sintered materials varied from 20 to 100 wt% depending on the sintering condition. The microstructure was observed by scanning electron microscopy and investigated by image analysis. Young's modulus, hardness, fracture toughness, and strength were strongly dependent on the α/β phase ratio. The fracture toughness increased from 4.6 MPa m1/2 for 20-wt% b-phase content to 8.2 MPa m1/2 for 95-wt% β-phase content, and the fracture strength showed a maximum value of about 1.6 GPa at 60-to-80-wt% β-phase content.

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