Tribological properties of self-lubricating laminated ceramic materials

In order to improve the tribological properties of ceramic composites, Al2O3/TiC-Al2O3/ TiC/CaF2 self-lubricating laminated ceramic composites were prepared by vacuum hot pressing sintering. Experiments were conducted to get mechanical properties and the friction and wear properties were also measured with friction and wear tester. The worn surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscope （SEM） and energy dispersion spectrum （EDS）. The wear resistance properties and the self-lubricating effect of ceramic composites were analyzed. Results show that the Al2O3/TiC-Al2O3/TiC/CaF2 self-lubricating laminated ceramic composites layers are well-defined with a higher bonding strength and the mechanical performances are uniform enough to overcome the anisotropy of weak laminated ceramic composites. In addition, the fracture toughness of Al2O3/TiC layers is also improved. Its friction coefficient and wear rates decrease with the increase of rotation speed and load. Al2O3/TiC-Al2O3/TiC/CaF2 self-lubricating laminated ceramic composites have good wear resistance because of the tribofilm formed by the CaF2 solid lubricants. The wear mechanisms of Al2O3/TiC/ CaF2 layers are abrasive wear and Al2O3/TiC layers are adhesive wear.     

Preparation and mechanical properties of Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/Al laminated ceramic matrix composites

Three series of Al2O3/Al laminated ceramic matrix composites,named SPA,SPV and HP,were fabricated by different methods.SPA and SPV were prepared using Al2O3 slices and Al slurry via screen printing and subsequent heat treatment in air or vacuum.HP samples were made by hot pressing the layered stack of Al foils and Al2O3 slices.SEM and XRD were applied to analyze the microstructure and the interlayer crystal phase.The bending strength,fracture toughness and fracture work of the samples made by the three methods were measured and compared.The results show that the composites have much better toughness and higher fracture work than the Al2O3 slice.Among the samples made by the three methods,the samples made by hot pressing have the optimum mechanical performance.The displacement-load curves and fracture mechanism were analyzed.     

Preparation of BN／SiO2 ceramics by PIP method

The precursor infiltration and pyrolysis(PIP) method for preparation of BN/SiO2 composites was used to improve mechanical properties, dielectric properties and feasibility of high temperature dielectric parts with large dimensions and complex shapes. In the processing procedure, the porous BN ceramic matrix was first successfully prepared by compacting the mixed powders of B and BN and then sintering them at a certain temperature under normal pressure of N2. The polycarbosilane(PCS) solution was vacuum infiltrated into porous BN ceramics at the room temperature and then at 800℃ in the air to depolimerize out amorphous SiO2, and sintered further at 1 300℃ in N2 to get BN/SiO2 composites. The microstructure of materials was studied by means of X-ray diffraction and electron probe micro analysis. The thermo-decomposition mechanism of PCS was investigated by a TG-DTA and infrared (IR) spectrum analysis. The flexural strengths were measured by the three-point bending method. The dielectric constant and the loss tangent were measured by the wave-guide method. The results show BN/SiO2 composites were fabricated. The obtained composites posses a flexural strength of 61.96 - 93.31 MPa, the dielectric constant in the range of 3.50 - 3.78 and the order of magnitude of the loss tangent at 10^-3 , which are good for the high tempera turedielectric parts with large size and complex shapes.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of WC-20wt% Co/ZrO2（3Y）cermet composites

The cermet composites WC-20wt%Co/ZrO2（E6）with four different comtents of ZrO2（3Y）were prepared by normal vacuum sinter processing;the optical microscope and SEMwere used to characterize their microstructures.The hardness.bending strength and impact toughness of the specimens were determined.The experimental results show that ZrO2（3Y） particles in WC-20wt%Co matrix are sphcrical particles in different sizes which are distributed uniformly in Co phases and WC phases,the bending strength and impact toughness of the WC-20wt%Co cermet composites added ZrO2（3Y）improve remarkably.but the hardness values have little change.     

Fabrication of Ceramic Composites by Directed Metal Oxidation

To explain the growth mechanism of Al2O3/Al Lanxide composites , the dynamics of the directed oxidation of Al-Mg-Si alloys are analyzed. The experimental methods to produce Lanxide composites by directed oxidation of metal melts at high temperatures are presented. The effect of the processing factors on the microstructures and properties of Al2O3/ Al composites and enforced Al2O3/Al composites is also analyzed. Compared with sintering ceramic composites, the advantages of Lanxide process and Lanxide materials are as following : it is a near net shaped process ; the process is very simple ; the microstructures and properties of Lanxide materials can be adjusted ; and this process can be used to infiltrate ceramic fiber or particle preforms.     

Effect of sintering atmosphere on composition and properties of NiFe_2O_4 ceramic

Ni Fe2O4 ceramics were prepared in different sintering atmospheres. The phase compositions, microstructures and mechanical properties were studied. The results show that the stoichiometric compound Ni Fe2O4 cannot be obtained in vacuum or atmospheres with oxygen contents of 2×10-5, 2×10-4 and 2×10-3, respectively. All the samples sintered in above-mentioned atmospheres contain phases of Ni Fe2O4 and Ni O. With increasing oxygen content, Ni Fe2O4 content in the ceramic increases, while Ni O content appears a contrary trend. In vacuum, Ni Fe2O4 ceramic has average grain size of 3.94 μm, and bending strength of85.12 MPa. The changes of the phase composition and mechanical properties of Ni Fe2O4 based cermets are mainly caused by the alteration of their properties of Ni Fe2O4 ceramic.     

Effect of sintering atmosphere on composition and properties of NiFe2O4 ceramic

Ni Fe2O4 ceramics were prepared in different sintering atmospheres. The phase compositions, microstructures and mechanical properties were studied. The results show that the stoichiometric compound Ni Fe2O4 cannot be obtained in vacuum or atmospheres with oxygen contents of 2×10-5, 2×10-4 and 2×10-3, respectively. All the samples sintered in above-mentioned atmospheres contain phases of Ni Fe2O4 and Ni O. With increasing oxygen content, Ni Fe2O4 content in the ceramic increases, while Ni O content appears a contrary trend. In vacuum, Ni Fe2O4 ceramic has average grain size of 3.94 μm, and bending strength of85.12 MPa. The changes of the phase composition and mechanical properties of Ni Fe2O4 based cermets are mainly caused by the alteration of their properties of Ni Fe2O4 ceramic.     

Fluoridation and sintering of hydroxyapatite material and their mechanical properties

In the current work hydroxyapatite Ca10(PO4)6 ·OH2(HA) was sintered with the addition of 3 wt% aluminum isopropoxide(C9H21AlO3) powder and 3 wt % Teflon powder(-C2 F2-). Sample was prepared by following sol-gel technique. Obtained pellets of samples were sintered. For investigation of effects of temperature on microstructures and mechanical properties the samples were sintered at various temperatures. For studying the phase composition, microstructures and elemental analysis the sintered samples were characterized by X-rays diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and energy dispersive X-rays diffraction(EDAX) respectively. After sintering the samples mechanical properties, i e, grains size, apparent density, Vickers hardness, bending strength and compressive strength were found to be 2.14-18.76 μm, 1.523 6-0.752 g/cm3, 3.60-0.600 GPa and bending strength 33.265 8-14.900 MPa, 75-33 MPa, respectively. As a result of sintering fluoridated composite material was obtained.     

Effect of nano-ZrO2 on microstructure and thermal shock behaviour of Al2O3/SiC composite ceramics used in solar thermal power

The Al2O3-ZrO2(3Y)-SiC composite ceramics used in solar thermal power were prepared by micrometric Al2O3,nano-ZrO2 and SiC powders under the condition of pressureless sintering.The bulk density and bending strength of samples with 10vol% nano-ZrO2 sintered at 1480℃ were 3.222 g/cm3 and 160.4MPa,respectively.The bending strength of samples after 7 times thermal shock tests (quenching from 1000℃ to 25℃ in air medium) is 132.0MPa,loss rate of bending strength is only 17%.The effect of nano-ZrO2 content on the microstructure and performance of Al2O3-ZrO2(3Y)-SiC composite ceramic was investigated.The experimental results show that the bending strength of samples with above 10vol% nano-ZrO2 content has decreased,because the volume expansion resulting from t-ZrO2 to m-ZrO2 phase transformation is excessive;Adding proper nano-ZrO2 would be contributed to improve the thermal shock resistance of the composite ceramics.The Al2O3-ZrO2(3Y)-SiC composite ceramic has promising potential application in solar thermal power.     

Enhanced Thermal Conductivity and Bending Strength of Graphite Flakes/aluminum Composites Via Graphite Surface Modification

The effect of graphite surface modification on the thermal conductivity(TC) and bending strength of graphite flakes/Al composites(G_f/Al) prepared by gas pressure infiltration were investigated. Al_3 Ni and Al_4C_3 phase may form at the interface in Ni-coated G_f/Al and uncoated G_f/Al composites, respectively, while the Al-Cu compound cannot be observed in Cu-coated G_f/Al composites. The Cu and Ni coatings enhance TC and the bending strength of the composites in the meantime. TC of Cu-coated G_f/Al composites reach 515 Wm~(-1)·K~(-1) with 75 vol% G_f, which are higher than that of Ni-coated G_f/Al. Meanwhile, due to Al_3 Ni at the interface, the bending strength of Ni-coated G_f/Al composites are far more than those of the uncoated and Cu-coated G_f/Al with the same content of G_f. The results indicate that metal-coated G_f can effectively improve the interfacial bonding between G_f and Al.     

Fabrication and Mechanical Properties of TiC／TiAl Composites

TiC/ TiAl composites with different TiC content were fabricated by rapid heating technique of spark plasma sintering ( SPS ). The effect of TiC purticles on microstructure and mechanical properties of TiAl matrix was imestigated. The results indicate that grain sizes of TiAl matrix decrease and mechanical properties are improved because of the addition of TiC particles. The composites display a 26.8% increase in bending strength when 10wt% TiC is added and 43.8% improvement in fracture toughness when 5ut% TiC is added compared to values of TiC-free materials. Grain-refinement and dispersion-strengthening were the main strengthening mechanism. The improvement of fracture toughness was due to the deflexion of TiC particles to the crack.     

Sintering Behavior and Microstructure of diphasic β-Sialon /Al_2O_3 Composites

Six compositions with different ratio of β-Sialon/Al2O3 were synthesized from Al2O3, Si3,N4 and SiO2 by sintering with 3%Y2O3(mass fraction) as addition under the cover with powders of SiC+C and at nitrogen atmosphere. Theeffects of atmosphere, sintering temperature and composition on the sintering behavior were studied. The results showedthat the composites reached the best sintering behavior with the highest density about 92% at 1 650℃ under the weakreduction atmosphere. Finally the relative density of diphasic β-Sialon and p-Sialon/Al2O3 composites were studied andpredicted using ANN (Artificial Neural Networks) method and the results were experimental examined by fore randomsamples.     

Effect of pressure on the solidification behavior and mechanical properties of SiCp/Al-Mg composites

SiCp/Al-Mg metal matrix composites were manufactured by semi-solid stirring technique. The composites were remelted and then solidified under different pressures to study the solidification behavior of composites by differential thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The experimental results show that SiCp reinforcements can not act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for α(Al), and an interfacial layer composed of MgAl2O4 spinel and Si-rich phase existed at Al/SiCp interface. The undercooling of the matrix alloy was improved by the pressure applied, resulting in the grain of matrix alloy refining. The X-ray diffraction pattern of composites testified that the matrix alloy exhibited a certain preferred orientation during solidification. In addition, with increasing the pressure for solidification, the pored defects in the composites decreased, while the relative density, hardness and compressive strength increased. Therefore, the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were improved by pressure placed during the solidification of SiCp/Al-Mg composites.     

Low temperature sintering and dielectric properties of Ca-Ba-Al-B-Si-O glass/Al2O3 composites for LTCC applications

The effects of various SiO2 contents on both the microstructures and properties of Ca-Ba- A1-B-Si-O glass/Al2O3 cotrtposites were investigated by FTIR, DSC, XRD and SEM. The experimental results show that increasing SiO2 content in the glass leads to the increase of [SIO4] units, increases the continuity of glass network, and decreases the trend to crystallization of composites. The shrinkage of samples rises rapid around the glass softening temperature and the final shrinkage of samples decreases with increasing SiO2 content in the glass. Borosilicate glass/Al2O3 composites with 60wt% SiO2 sintered at 875 ℃ for 15 min show better properties： a bulk density of 3.10 g,cm-3, a porosity of 0.23 %, a er value of 7.55 and a tan 8 value of 0.00053 （measured at 10 MHz） and a well matching with Ag electrodes.     

Effect of crystallization of CaO—P2O5—SiO2—MgO—F^— glass—ceramics on its mechanical properties

The microstructure of CaO-P2O5-SiO2-MgO-F glass-ceramics during crystallization were investigated and the crystallized phases were identified with DTA(Differential Thermal Analysis),SEM(Scanning Electron Microscope) and XRD(X-ray Diffraction) techniques,The mechanical properties such as bending strength and fracture toughness,as well as their changes with advancing crystallization were determined.The results show that the changes of the mechanical properties are correlated with the microstructures,The sample heated up to 810℃ and soaked for 4h has smaller crystalline size and less volum fraction of fluorophlogopite,so it has higher bending strength (about 190MPa),and higher crack toughness(about 2.63 MPa.m^1/2).     

Effect of Hyperbranched Poly(amine-ester) Grafted Nano-SiO2 on Reinforcement and Toughness of PVC

Nano-SiO2 was modified using silane coupling agent(KH-550) and hyperbranched poly(amine-ester) respectively,and Poly(vinyl chloride)(PVC)/modified nano-SiO2 composites were made by melt-blending.The composites' structures andmechanical properties were characterized by transmission electron microscopy(TEM),sanning electronic microscopy(SEM) and electronic universal testing machine.The results show that nano-SiO2 grafted by hyperbranched poly(amine-ester) increases obviously in dispersion in PVC matrix,and mechanical properties of PVC are effectively improved.Moreover,it was found that mechanical properties of PVC/nano-SiO2 composites reach the best when weight percent of nano-SiO2 in PVC matrix is 1%.Compared with crude PVC,the tensile strength of hyperbranched poly(amine-ester) grafted nano-SiO2/PVC composite increases by 24.68% and its break elongation,flexural strength and impact strength increase by 15.73%,4.07% and 1 841.84%,respectively.Moreover,the processing of the composites is improved.     

Fabrication of FeAl／TiC composites through reactive hot pressing

FeAl/TiC composites were fabricated by reactive hot pressing blended elemental powders. The TiC content was varied from 50% to 80% (volume fraction) and the aluminum content in the binder phase was changed from 40% to 50%(mole fraction). The effects of these compositional changes on the densification process and mechanical properties were studied. The results show that with the increase of TiC content, densities of the composites decrease due to insufficient particle rearrangement aided by dissolution - reprecipitation reaction during hot pressing. Closely related with their porosities and defect amount, the hardness and bend strength of the composites show peak values,attaining the highest values with TiC content being 70% and 60%, respectively. Increasing the aluminum content is beneficial to the densification process. But the hardness and bend strength of the composites are reduced to some extent due to the formation of excessive oxides and thermal vacancies.     

Effect of MnO_2 on Properties of SiC-mullite Composite Ceramics for Solar Sensible Thermal Storage

For improving the properties of Si C-mullite composite ceramics used for solar sensible thermal storage, Mn O_2 was introduced as sintering additive when preparing. The composite ceramics were synthesized by using Si C, andalusite, α-Al_2O_3 as the starting materials with non-contact graphite-buried sintering method. Phase composition and microstructure of the composites were investigated by XRD and SEM, and the effect of Mn O_2 on the properties of Si C composites was studied. Results indicated that samples SM1 with 0.2 wt% Mn O_2 addition achieved the optimum properties: bending strength of 70.96 MPa, heat capacity of 1.02 J·(g·K)-1, thermal conductivity of 9.05 W·(m·K)-1. Proper addition of Mn O_2 was found to weaken the volume effect of the composites and improve the thermal shock resistance with an increased rate of 27.84% for bending strength after 30 cycles of thermal shock(air cooling from 1 100 ℃ to RT).     

Comparative study of β-Si3N4 powders prepared by SHS sintered by spark plasma sintering and hot pressing

β-Si3N4 powders prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) with additions of Y2O3 and Al2O3 were sintered by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties of Si3N4 ceramics prepared using this method were compared with those obtained by hot pressing process. Well densified Si3N4 ceramics with finer and homo- geneous microstructure and better mechanical properties were obtained in the case of the SPS technique at 200°C lower than that of hot pressing. The microhardness is 15.72 GPa, the bending strength is 716.46 MPa, and the fracture toughness is 7.03 MPa?m1/2.