Study on Erosion Wear Mechanism of SiC/(W,Ti)C Gradient Ceramic Nozzle Material
Idea of functionally gradient material (FGM) theory was used to the design of ceramic nozzle. The purpose was to increase the erosion wear resistance at the entrance of the nozzle in dry sand blasting processes. The SiC/(W,Ti)C gradient ceramic nozzles fabricated by conventional hot pressing. The erosion behavior of the SiC/(W,Ti)C gradient ceramic nozzles were investigated in comparison with the common homologous ceramic nozzles. The experimental results have shown that the ceramic nozzles with a gradient structure have superior erosion wear resistance to that of the common homologous ceramic nozzles under the same test conditions. It was shown that the mechanical properties of the gradient ceramic nozzle materials were greatly improved in comparison with that of the common homologous nozzles. The surface Vickers hardness and indentation fracture toughness of gradient ceramic nozzle were greatly improved compared with that of the common homologous nozzles. Therefore, it is indicated that gradient structures in ceramic nozzles is an effective way to improve the erosion wear resistance of the common homologous nozzles.