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http://dx.doi.org/10.4191/KCERS.2008.45.2.094

The Effect of Al2O3 addition on the Characteristics of Sintering Behavior, Phase Transformation and Mechanical Properties of Spark Plasma Sintered Si3N4 Ceramics  

Chae, Jae-Hong (Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology)
Kim, Dae-Gean (Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology)
Kim, Kyoung-Hun (Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology)
Park, Joo-Seok (Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology)
Ahn, Jong-Pil (Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology)
Sim, Kwang-Bo (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanyang University)
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Abstract
Silicon nitride($Si_3N_4)$ is one of the most widely used structural ceramic materials. However silicon nitride is difficult to sinter because of its strong covalent bonding characteristics. In this study, $Si_3N_4$ ceramics were fabricated by spark plasma sintering process with $Y_2O_3$ and $Al_2O_3$ addition to improve the sinterability and the mechanical properties and their phase transformation behavior, microstructure and mechanical properties were evaluated. Fully densified $Si_3N_4$ ceramics could be obtained by spark plasma sintering process at a lower temperature than conventional sintering method. The formation of network microstructure was affected by the addition of $Al_2O_3$ because it could accelerate a to ${\alpha}$ to ${\beta}$ phase transformation of $Si_3N_4$. As a result, the mechanical properties depended on amounts of $Al_2O_3$ addition. The hardness value increased with increasing ${\alpha}$-phase fraction, but fracture toughness value increase with increasing ${\beta}$-phase fraction.
Keywords
$Si_3N_4$; Spark plasma sintering; Phase transformation; Mechanical property;
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