SiC含量对反应烧结SiC-Si3N4复合材料性能的影响

以粒度均≤0.044mm的工业Si粉和α-SiC粉为原料,酚醛树脂为结合剂(占总粉末质量的6.5%),配成SiC含量(质量分数)分别为10%、30%、50%和70%的4组试样,经200MPa冷等静压成型后,在N2气氛中(压力为1.25MPa)于1395℃反应烧结制备了SiC-Si3N4复合材料,并采用SEM、XRD和EDS等测试手段对试样进行了观察和测试。结果表明:随着粉料中SiC含量的增加,烧后试样的体积密度下降,显气孔率提高,抗折强度降低,以SiC加入量为10%的试样性能最优;4组试样经800℃～室温空冷热震15次后的抗折强度保持率均在90%以上,表明材料具有良好的抗热震性能。     

Direct laser sintering of reaction bonded silicon carbide with low residual silicon content

Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques are promising manufacturing methods for the production of complex parts in small series. In this work, laser sintering (LS) was used to fabricate reaction bonded silicon carbide (RBSC) parts. First, silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) powders were mixed in order to obtain a homogeneous powder. This powder mixture was subsequently laser sintered, where the Si melts and re-solidifies to bind the primary SiC particles. Afterwards, these SiSiC preforms were impregnated with a phenolic resin. This phenolic resin was pyrolysed yielding porous carbon, which was transformed into secondary reaction formed SiC when the preforms were infiltrated with molten silicon in the final step. This resulted in fully dense RBSC parts with up to 84?vol% SiC. The optimized SiSiC combined a Vickers hardness of 2045?HV, an electrical conductivity of 5.3?×?10³?S/m, a Young's modulus of 285?GPa and a 4-point bending strength of 162?MPa.     

Preparation of high-strength Si3N4 antenna window using selective laser sintering

In this study, a high-strength silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) antenna window was successfully developed via selective laser sintering (SLS) with cold isostatic pressing (CIP) after debinding before final sintering. The effects of CIP after debinding and sintering aids on the bulk density, total porosity, bending strength and microstructure of Si₃N₄ ceramics were examined. The results show that the bending strength of SLS Si₃N₄ ceramics can be greatly improved by adding sintering aids between Si₃N₄ granules and by CIP after debinding. Optimal performance of ceramics is obtained by CIP after debinding and the use of inter-granule sintering aids. The porosity, bulk density, and bending strength are 18.7%, 3.11 g/cm³, and 685 MPa, respectively. Eliminating the pores by the CIP after debinding and by inter-granule sintering aids promotes the growth of rod-like β-Si₃N₄, which lock with each other contribute to the strengthening of Si₃N₄ ceramics.     

Effects of AlN inorganic binder on the properties of porous Si3N4 ceramics prepared by selective laser sintering

Porous Si₃N₄ ceramics are widely used in the aerospace field due to its lightweight, high-strength, and high wave transmission. Traditional manufacturing methods are difficult to fabricate complex structural and functional ceramic parts. In this paper, selective laser sintering (SLS) technology was applied to prepare porous Si₃N₄ ceramics using AlN as an inorganic binder. And the effects of AlN content on the properties of the obtained ceramic samples were explored. As the AlN content increased, nano-Al₂O₃ and nano-SiO₂ formed the eutectic liquid phase, enhancing the sintering densification and phase transformation of Si₃N₄ poly-hollow microspheres (PHMs). The island-like partial densification structures in Si₃N₄ green bodies increased. During the high-temperature sintering, the eutectic liquid phase partially transformed into the mullite phase or reacted with AlN and Si₃N₄ to form the Sialon phase. With the increase of AlN content, the fracture mode of Si₃N₄ ceramics changed from fracturing along PHMs to fracturing across PHMs. The bonding depth between PHMs increased and the connection between the grains was tighter, so the Si₃N₄ ceramics became denser. With the increase of AlN addition, the total porosity of the porous Si₃N₄ ceramics tended to decrease and the flexural strength gradually increased. When AlN content was 20 wt%, the total porosity and the flexural strength were 33.6% and 23.9 MPa, respectively. The addition of AlN inorganic binder was carried out to develop a novel way to prepare high-performance porous Si₃N₄ ceramics by SLS.     

Effect of additives on slip casting rheology,microstructure and mechanical properties of Si3N4/SiC composites

The SiC/Si₃N₄ composites were fabricated with sintering process. To produce SiC/Si₃N₄ composite components, slurry mixtures containing Si/SiC powders were used by the slip casting method. In order to investigate the effect of dispersants and additives on the rheological properties and the body casted, slurries with concentration of 70% solid weight were prepared. It included a mixture of silicon and silicon carbide with weight ratios of 30 wt% and 70 wt%, respectively, and various weight percentages of Ball clay as lubricant and Tiron (sodium salt of benzene disulfonic acid) as dispersant at pH value of 7. After preparing the green bodies by slip casting method by using plaster mold, the samples were sintered at 1450 °C inside an atmospheric-controlled furnace under a pressure of 0.12 MPa of nitrogen gas for 2 h. By examining the rheological properties of the slurry and the sintering properties, it was concluded that the best slurry was obtained in terms of viscosity, density, porosity and strength using 5 wt% Ball clay and 0.5 wt% Tiron. Phase transformations, microstructure and morphology of the sintered specimens were accomplished by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) examination and X-ray diffraction experimental analysis. XRD and FESEM results demonstrated that the composite fabricated by slurry containing 5 wt% Ball clay and 0.5 wt% Tiron had the least porosity without SiO₂ phase.     

A novel approach to fabricate Si3N4 by selective laser melting

Difficulties in sintering refractory ceramics limit their potential high-demanding applications. Selective laser sintering/melting of ceramics is extremely challenging due to poor sinterability of refractories caused by a low thermal shock resistance and an insufficient electron conductivity blocking absorption of laser electron beam energy, etc. Here, we propose a new approach to fabricate Si₃N₄-based complex geometry parts by selective laser sintering. This is a two-step approach including (i) selective laser sintering of silicon powder providing a needed shape, and (ii) nitridation of the as-shaped silicon parts aimed at fabrication of the Si₃N₄ component. Parametric study of the process has been performed for optimization of the sintering parameters, such as laser current, point distance and exposure time. The silicon component of full Archimedes density, 12?GPa Vickers hardness and 432?MPa compressive strength has been produced by SLS technique. Effect of different catalysts (Ni-, Cr-, Co-based) on the nitridation of the shaped silicon parts has been thoroughly studied. The conversion degree of nitridation reaches 50% with Ni-based catalyst subjecting growth of Si₃N₄ nanofibers on the surface of the component.     

High-strength and wave-transmitting Si3N4–Si2N2O-BN composites prepared using selective laser sintering

In this study, high-strength and wave-transmission silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) composites were successfully developed via selective laser sintering (SLS) with cold isostatic pressing (CIP) after debinding and before final sintering, and the optimal moulding process parameters for the SLS Si₃N₄ ceramics were determined. The effects of the sintering aids and secondary CIP on the bulk density, porosity, flexural strength, fracture toughness, and wave-transmitting properties of the Si₃N₄ composites were studied. The results showed that the increased CIP pressure was beneficial to the densification of SLS Si₃N₄ ceramics and improved their mechanical properties. However, the wave-transmitting performance decreased as the CIP pressure increased. The Si₃N₄ ceramics prepared by the moulding of sample S₁₁ were more in line with the performance requirements of the radomes. To obtain good comprehensive performance, an additional 3% of interparticle Y₂O₃ was added to the pre-printed mixed powder of granulated Si₃N₄ particles and resin and the secondary CIP pressure was adjusted to 280 MPa. After sintering, the bending strength, fracture toughness, and dielectric constant of the Si₃N₄ ceramics were 651 MPa, 6.0 MPa m^1/2, and 3.48 respectively. This study provides an important method for preparing of Si₃N₄ composite radomes using SLS process.     

The effect of fabrication parameters on the mechanical properties of sintered reaction bonded porous Si3N4 ceramics

Porous silicon nitride ceramics were prepared via sintered reaction bonded silicon nitride at 1680 °C. The grain size of nitrided Si₃N₄ and diameter of post-sintered β-Si₃N₄ are controlled by size of raw Si. Porosity of 42.14–46.54% and flexural strength from 141 MPa to 165 MPa were obtained. During post-sintering with nano Y₂O₃ as sintering additive, nano Y₂O₃ can promote the formation of small β-Si₃N₄ nuclei, but the large amount of β-Si₃N₄ (>20%) after nitridation also works as nuclei site for precipitation, in consequence the growth of fine β-Si₃N₄ grains is restrained, the length is shortened, and the improvement on flexural strength is minimized. The effect of nano SiC on the refinement of the β-Si₃N₄ grains is notable because of the pinning effect, while the effect of nano C on the refinement of the β-Si₃N₄ grains is not remarkable due to the carbothermal reaction and increase in viscosity of the liquid phase.     

Sintered reaction-bonded silicon nitrides with high thermal conductivity: The effect of the starting Si powder and Si3N4 diluents

Silicon nitride ceramics with high thermal conductivity were fabricated by employing the reaction bonding method. It was revealed that the addition of Si₃N₄ diluents affected both the nitriding reaction and the post-sintering behavior by changing the size of the silicon particle during the milling process. The reduced size of silicon particle led to an increased degree of nitridation. Further, narrower pore channels in the nitrided bodies caused by the reduced size of silicon particle enhanced the final density, by promoting the easier elimination of finer pores during post-sintering. The positive effect of the finer silicon particle was confirmed by a back-up experiment employing a variety of silicon particle sizes, produced by milling the raw silicon powder for different milling times. Thermal conductivity was dominated by material density rather than variation of the microstructure or oxygen content in the current research.     

Direct laser additive manufacturing of high performance oxide ceramics: A state-of-the-art review

The implementation of additive manufacturing for ceramics is more challenging than for other material classes, since most of the shaping methods require polymer binder. Laser additive manufacturing (LAM) could offer a new binder-free consolidation route, since it is capable of processing ceramics in a direct manner without post-processing. However, laser processing of ceramics, especially high performance oxide ceramics, is limited by low thermal shock resistance, weak densification and low light absorptance at room temperature; particularly in the visible or near-infrared range. An extensive review focusing only on LAM (powder bed fusion – laser beam and directed energy deposition) of high performance oxide ceramics is currently lacking. This state-of-the-art review gives a detailed summary and critical analysis about process technologies, part properties, open challenges and process monitoring in the field of oxide ceramics. Improvements in accuracy and mechanical strength are proposed that could open LAM of oxide ceramics to new fields.     

Fused deposition modeling of Si3N4 ceramics: A cost-effective 3D-printing route for dense and high performance non-oxide ceramic materials

Dense Si₃N₄ ceramics were prepared by fused deposition molding method accompanied by gas pressure sintering. In this study, the surface steps, inter layer bonding and microstructure evolution were characterized and dense Si₃N₄ ceramics without obvious defects were obtained. It was verified that layer thickness and nozzle diameter have little impact on the density and flexural strength of both green and sintered parts. As to the filling strategy, contour offset path was more effective to obtain sintered part with higher flexural strength than parallel lines and grid path, which was due to the possible voids appeared at the intersection of print paths with different directions. The highest flexure strength 824.74 ± 85 MPa was obtained with layer thickness 0.15 mm, nozzle size 0.6 mm and contour offset path. The reliability of the obtained Si₃N₄ ceramics was also investigated and complex shaped Si₃N₄ ceramic parts with good shape keeping was prepared successfully.     

Additively manufactured mesostructured MoSi2-Si3N4 ceramic lattice

Lattice structures, their shape, orientation, and density make the critical building blocks for macro-scale geometries during the AM process and, therefore, manipulation of the lattice structure extends to the overall quality of the final product. This work reports on manufacturing of MoSi₂-Si₃N₄ ceramic lattices through a selective laser melting (SLM) approach. The strategy first employs the production of core-shell structured MoSi₂/(10-13?wt%)Si composite powders of 3–10?μm particle size by combustion synthesis followed by SLM assembly of MoSi₂/Si lattices and their further nitridation to generate MoSi₂-Si₃N₄ mesostructures of designed geometry. Experimental results revealed that the volumetric energy density of SLM laser has remarkable influence on the cell parameters, strength, porosity and density of lattices. Under compressive test, samples sintered at a higher laser current demonstrated a higher strength value. Selective laser melting has shown its potential for production of cellular lattice mesostructures of ceramic-based composites with a low content of a binder metal, which can be subsequently converted into a ceramic phase to produce ceramic-ceramic structure.     

Laser additive manufacturing and homogeneous densification of complicated shape SiC ceramic parts

To improve the density of SiC ceramic components with complicated shape built by laser sintering (LS), cold isostatic pressing (CIP) and reaction sintering (RS) were incorporated into the process. In the process of LS/CIP/RS, Phenol formaldehyde resin (PF)-SiC composite powder was prepared by mechanical mixing and cold coating methods, with an optimized content of PF at 18?wt%. For the purpose of obtaining improved density of the sintered body after final reaction sintering, carbon black was added into the initial mixed powder. The material preparation, LS forming and densification steps were optimized throughout the whole fabrication process. The final sintered SiC bodies with the bending strength of 292 ~ 348?MPa and the density of 2.94–2.98?g?cm^{? 3} were prepared using the PF coated SiC-C composite powder and the LS / CIP / RS process. The study further showed a positive and practical approach to fabricate SiC ceramic parts with complicated shape using additive manufacturing technology.     

逆反应烧结制备铝电解槽用氮化硅-碳化硅复合材料

采用常规的反应烧结工艺制作铝电解槽侧壁材料用Si3N4／SiC时存在不足，为此，提出应用逆反应烧结工艺进行生产性试验的设想。在制备Si3N4／SiC复合材料时，常规反应烧结是以Si和SiC为原料经氮化烧结；逆反应烧结是以Si3N4和SiC为原料，首先使Si3N4反向反应生成活性氧化物后进行烧结。结果表明：该工艺特点是新生的Si2N2O或SiO2进行活性烧结；制品具有良好的物理和化学性能。制品结构紧密，新生氧化物或亚氧化物紧密地充填在Si3N4和SiC颗粒间界，新工艺制备的砖的抗冰晶石熔体侵蚀的性能优于常规工艺烧成砖，是铝电解槽侧壁的良好材料。     

空气气氛中烧成Si3N4-SiC复合材料的性能、相组成和显微结构

以氮化硅细粉(粒度＜0.088 mm,w(β-Si3N4)＞95%)、碳化硅(w(SiC)＞98%,粒度分别为2.8～0.9mm、0.9～0.15 mm、＜0.115 mm和＜0.063 mm四级)、硅粉(粒度＜0.045 mm,w(Si)＞98%)和硅灰(w(SiO2)=98.3%)为原料,以木质素磺酸钙水溶液作成型结合剂,采用150 MPa的压力成型为65 mm×114 mm×230mm的Si3N4-SiC、Si3N4-SiC-Si和Si3N4-SiC-SiO2三种试样.在空气气氛中,以50℃·h-1的升温速度升至800℃保温4 h,再升至1450℃保温2 h,自然冷却至室温后,测定烧成后试样的常温耐压强度、常温抗折强度、1400℃下的高温抗折强度、显气孔率、体积密度和残氮率,并采用XRD、SEM和EPMA等手段分析烧后试样的相组成和显微结构.结果表明3种试样在空气气氛中烧成后的高温(1400℃)和常温抗折强度都比较高,显气孔率都比较低,而耐压强度则以Si3N4-SiC试样的最高;烧成后试样中心区域的残氮率以Si3N4-SiC-Si试样的最高,Si3N4-SiC-SiO2试样的次之,Si3N4-SiC试样的最小;在空气气氛中烧成后,Si3N4-SiC试样中的Si3N4分解较多,SiC-Si3 N4-Si试样的表面和内部都明显含有单质Si,SiC-Si3N4-SiO2试样表面区域的Si2N2O晶体发育很好,而内部区域的晶体发育较小.     

Si3N4／纳米SiC复相陶瓷的研究

采用纳米ＳｉＣ粉体制备了Ｓｉ３Ｎ４／纳米ＳｉＣｐ复相陶瓷。研究了制备工艺、纳米ＳｉＣ含量对材料性能及显微结构的影响,并对材料显微结构特点与强韧化机制进行了分析 。结果表明：添加２０ｖｏ％〈１００ｎｍ的ＳｉＣ粉体时,复相陶瓷的室温抗弯强度达８５６ＭＰａ,当添加１０ｖｏ％上述ＳｉＣ粉体时,复相陶瓷的增韧效果最佳,断裂韧性达８．２７ＭＰａｍ＾１／２,比基体材料提高了２３％。     

Effect of impregnated phenolic resin on the properties of Si–SiC ceramic matrix composites fabricated by SLS-RMI

Selective laser sintering (SLS) combined with reaction melt infiltration was used to fabricate Si–SiC ceramic matrix composites, and the effects of different concentrations of phenolic resin (PF) on the properties of the SLS green body and carbonized and final Si–SiC samples were investigated. The results showed that the impregnation with PF can increase the bulk density, reduce the porosity of the samples at all stages, and improve the mechanical properties of the reactive bonded samples. The degree of densification and mechanical properties of the sample gradually enhanced with an increase in PF concentration. The main phases of the Si–SiC composites were free Si, α-SiC, β-SiC, plus an extremely small amount of Al–Si alloy, and the SiC and the Si phase contents increased and decreased, respectively, as the concentration of PF increased when measured using Rietveld refinement and image analysis software. The macroscopic properties of the samples improved greatly after precursor infiltration pyrolysis (PIP) treatment with 66.7%vol PF-ethanol solution twice. According to the crystal nucleation-growth theory, it was inferred that the infiltrated PF could provide a certain amount of pyrolytic carbon in the carbonized specimen. During the reaction bonded process, the carbon formed by carbonization pyrolysis first dissolves into the molten Si and reaches saturation. With the further dissolution of carbon, [C] and [Si] in the liquid phase contact each other to form β-SiC nuclei, the nuclei that precipitate at the pore wall position and gradually form a continuous interfacial layer of β-SiC. The β-SiC layer prevents the liquid Si from direct contact with C inside the prefabricated body, therefore, further reactants diffuse through the layer. Finally, the fine crystalline β-SiC grains were fabricated inside the specimen.     

Si3N4/Si3N4扩散连接的力学性能研究

采用热压法进行氮化硅陶瓷材料的扩散连接.结果表明:在1520℃,15MPa,60min条件下,氮化硅连接体的最高强度为448.6MPa,超过母材强度;平均连接强度为401.5MPa,为母材强度的96%.     

TiC／Si3N4导电陶瓷复合材料的制备

通过气压烧结工艺制备了含１,５,２０,２５,３５ｗｔ％ＴｉＣ的Ｓｉ３Ｎ４陶瓷复合材料研究了其导电特性,该复合材料由充当绝缘体的Ｓｉ３Ｎ４和作为导电添加剂的ＴｉＣ组成,其电阻率主要取决于其中的ＴｉＣ含量。复合材料的渗流阈值ＶＣ为１６．４５－１８．５０ｖｏｌ％,当ＴｉＣ含量达到或超过该阈值时复合材料中就形成导电通路,电阻率迅速降低。     

Effect of technological parameters on densification of reaction bonded Si/SiC ceramics

Si/SiC composite ceramics was produced by reaction sintering method in process of molten silicon infiltration into porous C/SiC preform fabricated by powder injection molding followed by impregnation with phenolic resin and carbonization. To optimize the ceramics densification process, effect of slurry composition, debinding conditions and the key parameters of all technological stages on the Si/SiC composite characteristics was studied. At the stage of molding the value of solid loading 87.5% was achieved using bimodal SiC powder and paraffin-based binder. It was found that the optimal conditions of fast thermal debinding correspond to the heating rate of 10?°C/min in air. The porous C/SiC ceramic preform carbonized at 1200?°C contained 4% of pyrolytic carbon and ～25% of open pores. The bulk density of Si/SiC ceramics reached 3.04?g/cm³, silicon carbide content was 83–85?wt.% and residual porosity did not exceed 2%.