Testing of High-Strength Ceramics with the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar

The split Hopkinson pressure bar was used to study the failure of a high-strength alumina at strain rates on the order of 10³ s^-1. There appears to be a critical strain rate above which the traditional method of using the transmitter bar signal to calculate the stress in the specimen is no longer valid. To compute the correct stress in the specimen it was necessary to use the strain signal from a gage mounted directly on the specimen.     

基于霍布金森压杆的砂岩动态力学特性数值模拟研究

以砂岩为研究对象,采用ANSYS/LS-DYNA软件建立分离式霍布金森压杆数值模型,模拟砂岩在不同应变率及应力波加载次数下的冲击过程.研究结果表明:随着应力波的传递,砂岩表现为三种破坏模式:张应变破坏、沿径向劈裂拉伸破坏、压碎破坏阶段;随着应变率的增大,动态峰值应力和峰值应变也随之增大;应变率一定时,随着应力波加载次数的增加,岩样的入射能、反射能、耗散能都呈现减小的趋势,而总耗能却表现为逐渐增大.     

基于Hopkinson压杆实验技术的含能材料动态力学性能测试方法研究进展

评述了基于Hopkinson压杆实验技术的高度变率下含能材料动态力学性能测试方法的研究进展.鉴于含能材料的低杨氏模量、密度、波阻,采用Hopkinson压杆测试其力学性能时存在一些问题,如应力平衡、波阻抗匹配等.研究表明,常规的Hopkinson压杆试验装置不能得到准确、可信的试验数据,采用波形整形、压电晶体等方法可以解决应力平衡和波阻抗不匹配等问题.Hopkinson压杆实验技术还能为含能材料在高应变率下本构关系的建立以及损伤模式的分析提供实验结果,并指出了今后含能材料力学性能研究的若干方向.附参考文献44篇.     

Critical Appraisal of Limiting Strain Rates for Compression Testing of Ceramics in a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar

The split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) is being widely used to determine the dynamic compressive strength of ceramics and ceramic composites. However, extreme caution needs to be exercised while testing these highstrength ceramics at high strain rates. The highest strain rate at which ceramics can be tested using an SHPB without violating the underlying assumptions is found to be in the range of 2500–3000/s. It is also shown that at very high loading rates, dispersion in the transmitted pulse can lead to discrepancies in measuring the dynamic failure strength of ceramics.     

Impact Damage and Strength Degradation in a Silicon Carbide Reinforced Silicon Nitride Composite

Adding SiC particles to Si₃N₄ and subjecting the mixture to a sinter-hot-isostatic-pressing process increases both the strength and elastic modulus. It also decreases the hardness but maintains the fracture toughness, which results in a higher resistance to crack initiation and propagation during spherical particle impact. Sinter-hot-isostatically-pressed composites exhibit elastic response as their dominant behavior. They also display a high resistance to Hertzian cone crack initiation and extension. This is due to the increased degree of inelastic deformation of sinter-hot-isostatically-pressed composites.     

Tensile Strength of Silicon Nitride Whiskers Synthesized by Reacting Amorphous Silicon Nitride and Titanium Dioxide

The tensile strength of α-Si₃N₄ whiskers synthesized by reacting amorphous Si₃N₄ and TiO₂ at 1490°C under a N₂ pressure of 700 torr was measured using a microbalance, and the diameter dependence of the strength was investigated. The Si₃N₄ whiskers had diameters of 0.04 and 0.8 μm and dominant [1011] and [1010] growth directions. Chemical analysis showed that they contained Ti and O impurities. The tensile strength of six Si₃N₄ whiskers increased from 17 to 59 GPa with decreasing whisker diameter.     

High-Temperature Strength of Fluorine-Doped Silicon Nitride

High-purity Si₃N₄ (with 2.5 wt% glassy SiO₂) doped with F was prepared by immersion of the starting powder into dilute HF and hot isostatic pressing without sintering additives, using a glass encapsulation method. Oxygen content and cation impurity content were almost the same for the F-doped and undoped materials. However, X-ray fluorescence analysis revealed the order of 100 ppm of F in the doped material, and a considerable amount of F was detected from the amorphous SiO₂ phase at grain-boundary triple points by analytical transmission electron microscopy. High-resolution electron microscopy found that an amorphous intergranular film was omnipresent in both of the materials, with an equilibrium thickness of 10 ± 1 å. Subcritical crack-growth resistance and creep resistance at 1400°C were degraded significantly by the presence of F. Internal friction of doped materials exhibited a dear grain-boundary relaxation peak, which suggested that F was present in the intergranular film at the two-grain junctions; this decreased the grain-boundary viscosity considerably. The film thickness of the doped material showed no apparent chemical effects and was explained by taking into account competing repulsive forces acting normal to the film.     

The Effect of the Interface on the Impact Strength of Fiber-Reinforced Silicon Nitride Composites

Hot-pressed silicon nitride can offer large gains in gas turbine performance when used as a blade or vane provided the limitation of low impact strength can be overcome. Through the use of fiber reinforcement, energy absorption modes not available in monolithic materials are provided, with the result that the elevated temperature (1300°C) impact strength of an Si₃N₄ composite reinforced with 30 volume percent tungsten wires has been shown to increase ninefold over unreinforced Si₃N₄.To make use of the energy absorbing mechanisms of fiber pullout and/or interfacial splitting, one needs to retain the filament strength and have a fairly weak or low modulus interface or interfacial region between the tungsten and the silicon nitride. At elevated temperatures, this is the case; however, at room temperature the tungsten silicide layer formed at the W-S1₃N₄ interface during hot pressing has been found to render the tungsten reinforcement ineffective as a crack blunting constituent. Efforts are being made to prevent the formation of tungsten silicide through the use of interfacial barrier coatings and/or reducing the fabrication temperature.     

Strength of Silicon Nitride after Thermal Shock

A water-quenching technique was used to evaluate the thermal-shock strength behavior of silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) ceramics in an air atmosphere. When the tensile surface was shielded from air during the heating and soaking process, the quenched specimens showed a gradual decrease in strength at temperatures above 600°C. However, the specimens with the air-exposed surface exhibited a ∼16% and ∼29% increase in strength after quenching from 800° and 1000°C, respectively. This is because of the occurrence of surface oxidation, which may cause the healing of surface cracks and the generation of surface compressive stresses. As a result, some preoxidation of Si₃N₄ components before exposure to a thermal-shock environment is recommended in practical applications.     

Stress Heterogeneity Effect on the Strength of Silicon Nitride

The experiments reported in this paper demonstrate the causes of the failure of monolithic ceramics. The specimens are made of silicon nitride and tested at room temperature. The stress field within the specimen is different for each of four series of tests that have been conducted. Fractographic observations have also been made to identify the causes of the failures. A size effect analysis is performed.     

Strength of Hot-Pressed Silicon Nitride After High-Temperature Exposure

Short-term exposure of hot-pressed silicon nitride to temperatures greater than 800°C in an oxidizing atmosphere causes an increase in the room-temperature strength and eliminates the truncated strength distribution produced by room-temperature proof-testing. Acid-etching the proof-tested samples restores the original truncated distribution. These strength changes are shown to be related to the formation of a glassy phase on the surface that smooths out the preexisting machining flaws. More extensive, long-term oxidation produces surface pits that lead to an irreversible change in strength     

Effect of Bonding Pressure on Silicon Nitride Joining Using a Nickel-Chromium-Boron Metal Filler

Mechanical pressure exerts a noticeable effect on the reaction that takes place at the interfacial region of Si₃N₄/Ni-Cr-B/Si₃N₄ joints. In fact, the mechanical pressure affects the thickness of the reaction layer: for lower pressures, a large interfacial reaction layer and a profusion of cracks are observed, whereas, for higher pressures, the extent of the reaction layer is limited, and no cracks are detected. The results show that joint strength increases monotonically with applied pressure.     

由碳化硅及氮化硅制造的陶瓷材料的强度

列举了由碳化硅及氮化硅加入氧化物活化剂(Al2O3、Y2O3)制造的烧结陶瓷材料的高温强度、硬度及抗裂性的研究成果。其结果表明:由Si3N4制造的材料的强度在≥1000℃时开始下降,而由SiC制造的陶瓷则具有更高的高温强度。采用维克尔氏方法在压头受到的荷重为1kg至10kg的条件下,测定了材料的硬度和抗裂性。     

Strength and Life Prediction for Hot-Pressed Silicon Nitride

The strength of hot-pressed Si₃N, was evaluated for constant stress rate, linear cyclic stress, and constant-stress loading. A stress-rupture rig was used to simultaneously test 10 samples under constant-stress loading. Exponential crack-growth-rate expressions were numerically integrated for constant stress rate and cyclic-stress loading and an approximate expression for the time-to-failure for these loading cases was developed. For either the power law or the exponential crack-growth-rate formulation, linear cyclic-stress and constant-stress-rate loading can be treated with the same fracture stress-time-to-failure representation. This correspondence was demonstrated for hot-pressed Si₃N₄. The exponential crack-growth formulation provided a consistent interpretation of the strength-degradation results, whereas the power-law formulation was inadequate.     

High-Temperature Toughness and Tensile Strength of Whisker-Reinforced Silicon Nitride

The R -curve behavior of hot-pressed silicon nitride reinforced with silicon carbide whiskers is investigated from room temperature to 1300°C using the chevron-notch bend test. The bridging stress, estimated from increment of fracture resistance in the rising R -curve, is discussed in relation to tensile strength measured with various displacement rates at 1300°C. The reinforcing whiskers provide most of the tensile strength in the creep-deformation range at 1300°C. The whiskers appear to bear a great deal of the applied tensile stress during slow crack growth.     

High-Temperature Strength of Sinter-Forged Silicon Nitride with Lutetia Additive

A sinter-forging technique was successfully applied to fabricate a silicon nitride with a lutetia (Lu₂O₃) additive. The sinter-forged specimen had a strongly anisotropic microstructure where rodlike silicon nitride grains preferentially aligned perpendicular to the forging direction. The specimen exhibited superior strength of ∼700 MPa at 1500°C. This strength was highest when compared with previous silicon nitrides at temperatures >1400°C. Such superior high-temperature strength was attributed to grain alignment as well as to the refractory grain-boundary glassy phase and the existence of glass-free grain boundaries.     

Aqueous Gel-Forming of Silicon Nitride Using Carrageenans

Much effort has been devoted recently to the development of near-net-shaping processes in water. Agarose has been demonstrated to be a suitable gelling agent for aqueous forming. However, its high cost and the difficulties in controlling the rheological properties have restricted large-scale applications. In this work a novel gelling binder, namely carrageenan, is proposed as a low-cost and high-gel-strength additive for gel-forming ceramic powders. The capability to obtain silicon nitride parts by carrageenan gelation is described. Aqueous silicon nitride slips are prepared at pH >11 to a solids content of 70 wt% using tetramethylammonium hydroxide as a dispersant. Dissolution and gelation of carrageenan are studied by continuous measurements of viscosity with temperature for solutions prepared at different pH values. The final injection slips prepared by mixing at <60°C the previously heated suspension and the carrageenan solution are rheologically characterized also. After the blend is injected into cooled nonporous molds, gelling occurs in a few seconds and samples can be dried in air for 24–48 h. Green densities of 52% of theoretical are obtained.     

Oxidation and Fracture Strength of High-Purity Reaction-Bonded Silicon Nitride

Reaction-bonded Si₃N₄ (RBSN) made from high-purity Si powder is unusually resistant to degradation caused by exposures to air for up to 50 h at temperatures up to 1400°C. The weight gain during oxidation of this SiH₄-originating RBSN is approximately 10 times less than conventional RBSN. Contrary to normally observed strength degradations, room-temperature strengths of this high-purity, oxidized RBSN (avg = 435 MPa, max. = 668 MPa) remained at their unusually high, as-processed levels after 1000° and 1400°C oxidizing exposures. Fracture toughness values were unaffected by oxidation ( K _IC= 2.3 to 2.4 MPa · m^1/2). This superior oxidation resistance results from the high purity and the small diameter pore channels (0.01 to 0.06 μm) achieved in this SiH₄-originating RBSN.     

Oblique Impact of Spherical Particles onto Silicon Nitride

Oblique impact damage to gas-pressure-sintered silicon nitride is investigated by examining changes in the stress field beneath the impact site of the silicon nitride. Varying the impact angle changes the morphologies of the initiated cracks from Hertzian cone crack to surface ring crack as the impact angle decreases. Moreover, impact at greater angles (90° and 60°) creates Hertizian cone cracks that drastically decrease the strength of the target materials; impact at smaller angles (45° and 30°), on the other hand, creates surface ring cracks that cause only moderate strength degradation.