Mechanical properties of polytypoidally joined Si3N4–Al2O3

Crack-free joining of alumina and silicon nitride has been achieved by a unique approach introducing sialon polytypoids as a functionally graded materials (FGM) bonding layer. The polytypoid compositions are identified in the phase diagram of the Si₃N₄–Al₂O₃ system. The thermal stresses of this FGM junction were analyzed using a finite element analysis program taking into account both coefficient of thermal expansion and modulus variations. From this analysis, the result showed a dramatic decrease in radial, axial and hoop stresses as the FGM changes from three layers to 20 graded layers. Scaling was considered, showing that the graded transition layer should constitute about 75% or more of the total sample thickness to reach a minimal residual stress. Oriented Vickers indentation testing was used to qualitatively characterize the strengths of the joint and the various interfaces. The indentation cracks were minimally or not deflected at the sialon layers, implying strong interfaces. Finally, flexural testing was conducted at room temperature and at high temperature. The average strength at room temperature was found to be 581 MPa and the average strength at high temperature (1200°C) was found to be 262 MPa. Scanning electron microscope observation of fracture surfaces at a different loading rates indicated that the strength loss at higher temperatures was consistent with a softening of glassy materials present at grain junctions.     

Electrochemical behaviour of high phosphorus electroless Ni–P–Si3N4 composite coatings

Abstract

A high phosphorus electroless nickel bath was used to prepare plain Ni–P and composite coatings containing submicrometre size silicon nitride particles. Deposits were characterised for their composition, morphology and electrochemical behaviour. Codeposition of particles in a Ni–P matrix has not influenced the phosphorus content (10 wt-%). Surface morphology of plain Ni–P deposits was smooth; the composite deposits became slightly rough with small nodules due to particle incorporation. Cross-sectional examination of composite coating revealed that the particles were uniformly distributed throughout the thickness of the coating. Potentiodynamic polarisation and electrochemical impedance studies were carried out in 3·5 wt-% sodium chloride solution in non-deaerated condition. Potentiodynamic polarisation studies showed that the corrosion current density value obtained for composite coatings is lower than that for plain Ni–P coatings. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies showed that the coating resistance of the composite coating is higher than that of plain Ni–P coating. This was further confirmed by SEM analysis of corroded samples.     

Fabrication and behaviour of Al–Si/SiC composite in cavitation conditions

Aluminium matrix composite (AMC) specimens were prepared using the compocasting technique. The reinforcements used were silicon carbide (SiC) particles with an average size of 30 μm. The influence of reinforced ratio of 10 wt-%SiC on cavitation behaviour was examined. The cavitation resistance of an AMC with SiC (AlSi/SiC) was evaluated using an ultrasonically induced cavitation test method. The mass loss of specimens was measured by an analytical method. The morphology of the damaged surface of tested composite was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is shown that the cavitation rate of an AMC with SiC is almost the same as the CA6NM stainless steel, which is largely used in the production of hydraulic machinery components. Because the results show that the composites exhibited very good resistance to the cavitation erosion, this material can be successfully used under conditions where the cavitation resistance is needed.     

Properties and fracture processes of Si3N4/ Si3N4 joints brazed using Cu–Zn–Ti filler alloy

Abstract

Si₃N₄ ceramic was jointed to itself using a filler alloy of Cu-Zn-Ti at 1123-1323 K for 0.3-2.7 ks. Ti content in the Cu-Zn-Ti filler alloy was varied from 5 to 20 at.-%. The effect of brazing parameters, such as brazing temperature, holding time and Ti content, on the mechanical properties and facture processes of the Si₃N₄/Si₃N₄ joint were investigated. The results indicated that the increased brazing temperature, holding time and Ti content increase the thickness of the interfacial reaction zone in the Si₃N₄/filler alloy, and the size and amount of the reaction phases in the filler alloy. Their increases lead to increasing shear strength of the joint. The fracture behaviour of the Si₃N₄/Si₃N₄ joint greatly depends on the microstructure of the joint. A suitable thick reaction zone with reaction phases yields the high strength of the Si₃N₄/ Si₃N₄ joint.     

Hydrogen permeation resistance and characterization of Si–Al and Si–Zr composite sol oxide coating on surface of zirconium hydride

The hydrogen permeation resistance of Si–Zr(SZ) and Si–Al(SA) composite sol oxide coating on zirconium hydride blocks(Zr H_(1.8)) was studied. SZ and SA composite sol were prepared by sol–gel method. SZ and SA composite oxide coatings were prepared on the surface of Zr H_(1.8)(in situ oxidized or not) in turns by dip-coating and heat treatment. Hydrogen permeation of Zr H_(1.8)with and without composite oxide coating was compared.Hydrogen desorption experiments in thermal vacuum show that hydrogen permeation resistance of SA composite oxide coating is better than that of SZ, to a certain extent,which could decrease hydrogen thermal loss. Experimental results in the working condition show that the SA composite oxide coating can not only prevent hydrogen permeation, but also retard contact and reaction between CO_2 and Zr H_(1.8)matrix, which could mitigate excessive oxidation of in situ oxide film. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry(DSC–TG) analysis was performed to investigate the decomposition behavior of SA and SZ liquid sol in heat treatment process. X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) analysis were employed to characterize the phase composition,surface and cross-section morphology of the coatings.     

Effect of Si addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–Al–N coating

Ti–Al–N coatings are widely used to prevent the untimely consumption of cutting tools exposed to wear. Increasing requirements on high speed and dry cutting application open up new demands on the quality of wear-protective quaternary or multinary Ti–Al–N based coating materials. Here, we investigated the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–Al–N and Ti–Al–Si–N coatings deposited on cemented carbide by cathodic arc evaporation. The formation of nanocomposite nc-TiAlN/a-Si₃N₄ structure by incorporation of Si into Ti–Al–N coating causes a significant increase on hardness from ∼ 35.7 GPa of Ti–Al–N to ∼ 42.4 GPa of Ti–Al–Si–N. Both coatings behave age-hardening during thermal annealing, however Ti–Al–Si–N coating reveal better thermal stability. Therefore, the improved cutting performance of Ti–Al–Si–N coated inserts is obtained compared to Ti–Al–N coated inserts.     

Microstructure of reactive sintered Al bonded Si3N4-SiC ceramics

Aluminium nitride-silicon nitride-silicon carbide （AIN-Si3N4-SiC） composite ceramics were prepared to increase the bending strength and improve the phase structure of Si3N4-based ceramics. The ceramics were made by reactive sintering in N2 atmosphere at 1 360 ℃, using Al as sintering additive. The phase composing of ceramics was identified with an X-ray diffractometer and the microstructure of the materials was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate that the phase structure is affected remarkably and the interface modality is changed. The interface between Si3N4 and SiC becomes blurry and that between SiC and AlN matches more better at the same time. But the liquid-phase appears during the reactive sintering along with the addition of AI by which the melting point of Si is decreased. The appearance of liquid Si decreases the bending strength of the ceramics. Lower temperature nitrification technic was introduced to avoid the appearance of liquid-phase Si. The optimum addition of Al was investigated by XRD and SEM analysis in order to obtain the maximal bending strength of materials.     

Study on microstructures of micron Si3N4 composite ceramic with addition of nano SiC and SiC whisker

１－ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＴｈｅＳｉ３Ｎ４ｃｅｒａｍｉｃａｓａｈｉｇｈｔｅｍｐｅｒａｔｕｒｅｓｔｒｕｃｔｕｒａｌｍａｔｅｒｉａｌｈａｓａｔｔｒａｃｔｅｄａｎｅｘｔｅｎｓｉｖｅａｔｔｅｎｔｉｏｎｌｏｎｇａｇｏ，ａｎｄｗａｓｅｘｔｅｎｓｉｖｅｌｙｓｔｕｄｉｅｄｉｎ７０′ｓｉｎＵＳＡ，ＵＫ，ＧｅｒｍａｎｙａｎｄＪａｐａｎ，ｂｕｔｔｈｅｆｉｅｌｄｓｏｆａｐｐｌｉｃａｔｉｏｎｗｅｒｅｒｅｓｔｒｉｃｔｅｄｂｅｃａｕｓｅｉｔｓｓｔｒｅｎｇｔｈｄｒａｍａｔｉｃａｌｌｙｄｅｓｃｒｅａｓｅｓａｔａｂｏ…     

Development of Si3Na/Al composite by pressureless melt infiltration

Pressureless infiltration process to synthesize Si3N4/Al composite was investigated. Al-2%Mg alloy was infiltrated into Si3N4 and Si3N4 containing 10% Al2O3 preforms in the atmosphere of nitrogen. It is possible to infiltrate Al-2%Mg alloy in Si3N4 and Si3N4 containing 10% Al2O3 preforms. The growth of the dense composite of useful thickness was facilitated by the presence of magnesium powder at the interface and by flowing nitrogen. During infiltration Si3N4 reacted with aluminium to form Si and AIN, the growth of composite was found to proceed in two ways, depending on the Al2O3 content in the initial preform. Firstly, preform without Al2O3 content gives rise to AIN, Al3.27Si0.47 and Al type phases after infiltration. Secondly, perform with 10% Al2O3 content gives rise to AIN-Al2O3 solid solution phase （AION）, MgAl2O4, Al and Si type phases. AlON phase was only present in composite, containing 10% Al2O3 in the Si3N4 preforms before infiltration.     

Microstructure of Si3N4/Si3N4 joint brazed using Cu-Pd-Ti alloy filler

Microstructure of the Si3 N4/Si3 N4 joint brazed using an active filler of Cu-Pd-Ti alloy was analyzed by means of EPMA and XRD. The results indicate that a perfect Si3 N4/Si3 N4 joint is obtained by using an active filler of Cu76.5Pd8.5Ti15 alloy with brazing temperature, pressure and holding time of 1 373 - 1 473 K, 2× 10-3 MPa and 1.8 ks, respectively. The filler alloy in the joint is a Cu-Pd solution containing reactant of TiN, PdTiSi and Pd2Si.The interface between the filler alloy and Si3 N4 ceramic is composed of TiN reactant.     

Investigation of the microstructure and properties of Al–Si–Mg/SiC composite materials produced by solidification under pressure

Composite materials based on alloys of the Al–Si–Mg system have been obtained via the introduction of 5, 10, and 15 wt % of SiC particles into the alloy melt and the solidification under a pressure. As a result of solidification under pressure, the porosity of the composite materials decreased substantially. An increase in the content of SiC particles in the composites enabled a smaller size of dendritic cells to be obtained. It has been shown by the X-ray diffraction method that, in the process of solidification under pressure, an interaction occurred between the matrix and reinforcing SiC particles. The presence of SiC particles in the structure of composites led to the acceleration of the aging process and to an increase in the peak hardness in comparison with the matrix alloy.     

Si3N4p／Al复合材料动态压缩性能研究Si3N4p／Al复合材料动态压缩性能研究

采用无压浸渗的方法制备了陶瓷（Si3N4p）含量为34．4％、46．3％和51．4％的3种Si3N4p／Al复合材料,应用分离式霍普金森压杆装置测试了复合材料在不同应变率下的动态压缩性能,并与准静态压缩性能进行了比较。分析了应变速率和陶瓷含量对复合材料动态性能的影响规律,探讨了复合材料微观组织特征对复合材料动态性能的影响机制。研究结果表明,Si3N4p／Al复合材料的动态压缩强度高于准静态压缩强度;在动态压缩过程中,高应变率载荷导致复合材料铝合金基体中具有高位错累积速率和较高的温升,因而复合材料动态压缩响应表现为“应变率硬化”效应和“热软化”效应的耦合。复合材料的动态压缩强度随着陶瓷含量增加而增加;热软化效应则随陶瓷含量增加、铝合金变形能力下降而相应减弱。     

Effects of fluidised bed quenching on heat treating characteristics of cast Al–Si–Mg and Al–Si–Mg–Cu alloys

Abstract

The quench sensitivity of Al–Si–Mg (D357 unmodified and Sr modified), and Al–Si–Mg–-Cu (354 and 319 Sr modified) cast alloys was investigated using a fluidised bed (FB). The average cooling rate of castings in the fluidised bed is lower than those quenched in water; the cooling rate first increases to a certain maximum and then decreases during quenching. The change in the cooling rate during quenching in water was more drastic, where the cooling rate varied from 0 to ?80 K s^?1 in less than 8 s, as compared with those quenched in FB, where the cooling rate varied from 0 to ?14 K s^?1 in 18 s. The FB quenching resulted in the formation of several metastable phases in Al–Si–Mg–Cu alloys; in contrast, no such transformation was observed during water quenching. The T4 yield strength of the FB quenched alloys was greater than water quenched alloys owing to the formation of a greater volume fraction of metastable phases in the FB quenched alloys. The tensile properties of T6 treated alloys show that Al–Si–Mg alloys (both unmodified and Sr modified) are more quench sensitive than Al–Si–Mg–Cu alloys. The high quench sensitivity of the Al–Si–Mg alloys is because GP zones are not formed, whereas GP zones are formed during quenching of the Al–Si–Mg–Cu alloys as predicted by time temperature transformation and continuous cooling transformation) diagrams.     

Novel joining of dissimilar ceramics in the Si3N4–Al2O3 system using polytypoid functional gradients

A unique approach to crack-free joining of heterogeneous ceramics is demonstrated by the use of sialon polytypoids as Functionally graded materials (FGM) as defined by the phase diagram in the system, Si₃N₄–Al₂O₃. Polytypoids in the Al₂O₃–Si₃N₄ system offer a path to compatibility for heterogeneous ceramics. This paper describes successful hot press sintering of multilayered FGMs with 20 layers of thickness 500 μm each. Transmission electron microscopy was used to identify the polytypoids at the interfaces of different areas of the joint. It has been found that the 15R polytypoid was formed in the Al₂O₃-contained layers and the 12H polytypoid was formed in the Si₃N₄-contained layers.     

On the extrusion microstructural evolution of Al–Al3Ni in situ composite

A directionally solidified Al–Al₃Ni in situ composite with fine Al₃Ni eutectic fibers was extruded at 200 and 400°C. Evolution of the microstructures was then investigated by examining the partially and fully extruded portions of the billets. According to the results, extrusion at 200°C will generate numerous tangled dislocations initially. When fiber breakage occurs, subgrains which are formed preferentially near the cracks will grow to eliminate the tangled dislocations and separate the pieces of broken fibers further apart, resulting in a fine subgrain structure with rod-like Al₃Ni particles distributed intergranularly. On the other hand, the billet extruded at 400°C shows formation of large subgrains with many intragranular Al₃Ni fibers in the early stage. Upon further extrusion, the fibers are broken while the large subgrains are refined by forming dislocation bands and changing the bands to sub-boundaries. Consequently, the 400°C-extruded billet shows fine subgrains with intergranular and intragranular rod-like Al₃Ni particles.     

Strength and fracture of two hot-rolled Ti–Al–Si–Nb dual phase alloys based on Ti3Al

Ti–Al–Si–Nb dual phase alloys are mainly composed of α₂-Ti₃Al matrix and Ti₅Si₃ silicide phases. In this paper, two alloys (402 and 405) whose Si contents are 2 and 5 at% respectively were arc melted and hot-rolled into sheets with different amounts of deformation. The silicide phase (Ti,Nb)₅(Si,Al)₃ was broken up into small pieces and redistributed in the α₂ matrix during the hot-rolling. Improved strength and ductility of the two alloys were observed after hot-rolling, which can be attributed to both the finely distributed reinforcement silicide phase and refinement of the matrix grain size. The mechanical properties of the two alloys are dependent on their volume fractions of the silicide phase: the strength of alloy 405 is higher than that of alloy 402, while alloy 402 is more ductile than alloy 405. The brittle–ductile transition temperature of the two dual phase alloys is between 600 and 800°C. The surface slip on the dual phase alloys was also observed. Obvious separation between the (Ti,Nb)₅(Si,Al)₃ particles and the α₂ matrix is found on the fracture surfaces obtained at high temperature, showing dimple-like morphology.     

Production and mechanical properties of nano SiC particle reinforced Ti–6Al–4V matrix composite

Different mass fractions (0, 5%, 10%, and 15%) of the synthesized nano SiC particles reinforced Ti–6Al–4V (Ti64) alloy metal matrix composites (MMCs) were successfully fabricated by the powder metallurgy method. The effects of addition of SiC particle on the mechanical properties of the composites such as hardness and compressive strength were investigated. The optimum density (93.33%) was obtained at the compaction pressure of 6.035 MPa. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations of the microstructures revealed that the wettability and the bonding force were improved in Ti64 alloy/5% nano SiC_p composites. The effect of nano SiC_p content in Ti64 alloy/SiC_p matrix composite on phase formation was investigated by X-ray diffraction. The correlation between mechanical parameter and phase formation was analyzed. The new phase of brittle interfaced reaction formed in the 10% and 15% SiC_p composite specimens and resulted in no beneficial effect on the strength and hardness. The compressive strength and hardness of Ti64 alloy/5% nano SiC_p MMCs showed higher values. Hence, 5% SiC_p can be considered to be the optimal replacement content for the composite.