• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.246-250
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• 1999

The effects of the ${\beta}-Si_3N_4$ starting particle size and $\alpha$/$\beta$ phase transformation during sintering process on the microstructure evolution of Yttrium $\alpha$-Sialon ceramics were investigated. As-received ${\beta}-Si_3N_4$ powder (mean particle size: 0.54$\mu$m) and classified ${\beta}-Si_3N_4$ powder(mean particle size: $0.26\mu{m}$) were used as starting powders. With decreasing the starting particle size, the growth of elongated grains was enhanced, which resulted in the whisker -like microstructure with elongated grains. These results were discussed in relation to the two-dimensional nucleation and growth theory. In the specimen heat treated at $1600^{\circ}C$ for 10h before sintering at $1950^{\circ}C$for 1h under 40atm(2-step sintering), the grain size was smaller than of the 1-step sintering at 195$0^{\circ}C$ for 1h. However, bimodal microstructure evolution were not not remarkable in both sample, which is ascribed to the $\alpha$-phase contents existing in ${\beta}-Si_3N_4$ starting powder.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.799-804
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• 1999

Composites of SiC-Si3N4 consisted of uniformly distributed elongated $\beta$-Si3N4 grains and equiaxed $\beta$-SiC grains were fabricated with $\beta$-SiC,. $\alpha$-Si3N4 Al2O3 and Y2O3 powders. By hot-pressing and subsequent annelaing elongated $\beta$-Si3N4 grains were grown via$\alpha$longrightarrow$\beta$ phase transformation and equiaxed $\beta$-Si3N4 composites increased with increasing the Si3N4 content owing to the reduced defect size and enhanced crack deflection by elongated $\beta$-Si3N4 grains and the grain boundary strengthening by nitrogen incorporation. Typical flexural strength and fracture toughness of SiC-40 wt% Si3N4 composites were 783 MPa and 4.2 MPa.m1/2 respectively.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.55-59
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• 2000

In this study, materials for spectacle lens cutting were fabricated by hot-pressing and annealing SiC powders with $Al_2O_3$ and $Y_2O_3$. A microstructure that consisted of uniformly distributed, large SiC grains and elongated SiC grains was developed by using ${\alpha}$-SiC powders. The microstructure was observed by scanning electron microscope(SEM). By hot-pressing and subsequent annealing, elongated ${\beta}$-SiC grains were grown via ${\beta}{\rightarrow}{\alpha}$ phase. This is caused the crack deflection as toughening mechanism. Typical hardness and fracture toughness of materials for spectacle lens cutting were 13.3 GPa and $4.8MPa{\cdot}m^{1/2}$, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.18-26
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• 1997

$\beta-SiC $powder with or without the addition of 1 wt% of $\alpha-SiC$ particles (seeds) was pressureless-sintered at $1950^{\circ}C$ for 0.5, 2 and 4 h using $Y_3Al_5O_{12}$ (yttrium aluminum garnet, YAG) as a sintering aid. The introduction of $\alpha-SiC$ seeds into $\beta-SiC$ accelerated :he grain growth of elongated large grains during sintering, resulting in the coarser microstructure. The fracture toughnesses of materials with $\alpha$-SiC seeds and without $\alpha-SiC$ seeds sintered for 4 h were 7.5 and 6.1 $MPa\cdot \textrm m^{1/2}$, respectively. Higher fracture toughness of the material with seeds was due to the enhanced bridging by elongated grains, resulting from coarser microstructure.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 2010

The unique features of spark plasma sintering process are the possibilities of a very fast heating rate and a short holding time to obtain fully dense materials. $\beta$-SiC powder with 0, 2, 6, 10 wt% of $\alpha$-SiC particles (seeds) and 4 wt% of Al-B-C (sintering aids) were spark plasma sintered at $1700-1850^{\circ}C$ for 10 min. The heating rate, applied pressure and sintering atmosphere were kept at $100^{\circ}C/min$, 40 MPa and a flowing Ar gas (500 CC/min). Microstructural development of SiC as function of seed content and temperature during spark plasma sintering was investigated quantitatively and statistically using image analysis. Quantitative image analyses on the sintered SiC ceramics were conducted on the grain size, aspect ratio and grain size distribution of SiC. The microstructure of SiC sintered up to $1700^{\circ}C$ consisted of equiaxed grains. In contrast, the growth of large elongated SiC grains in small matrix grains was shown in sintered bodies at $1750^{\circ}C$ and the plate-like grains interlocking microstructure had been developed by increasing sintering temperature. The introduction of $\alpha$-SiC seeds into $\beta$-SiC accelerated the grain growth of elongated grains during sintering, resulting in the plate-like grains interlocking microstructure. In the $\alpha$-SiC seeds added in $\beta$-SiC, the rate of grain growth decreased with $\alpha$-SiC seed content, however, bulk density and aspect ratio of grains in sintered body increased.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.118-122
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• 2003

Alpha-SiAlON ceramics having various compositions and modifying cations were investigated with respect to their phase stability, transformation kinetics. and resulting microstructures. Each composition was heat treated at 150$0^{\circ}C$ for 1h and measured the $\alpha$-SiAlON transformation. The phase-boundary composition in the single-phase $\alpha$-SiAlON region showed sluggish transformation from $\alpha$-$Si_3N_4$ to $\alpha$-SiAlON compared to the phase-center composition in the diagram. Using the different rare earth modifying cations, dependence of transformation kinetics on the phase stability in a fixed composition was also explained. By changing size of the stable u-phase region with exchanging cations, systematic change in transformation was observed. Transformation rate of $\alpha$-SiAlON at low temperature has an important role on controlling the final microstructure. Less transformation gives more chances to develop elongated grain in the microstructure.

• The Korean Journal of Ceramics
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.152-156
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• 1996

Fine (~0.09 $\mu$m) $\beta$-SiC Powders with 3.3wt% of large (~0.44$\mu$m) $\alpha$-SiC of $\beta$-SiC particles (seeds) added were hotpressed at 175$0^{\circ}C$ using $Y_2O_3$, $Al_2O_3$ and CaO as sintering aids and then annealed at 185$0^{\circ}C$ for 4 h to enhance grain growth. The resultant microstructure and polytypes were analyzed by high resolution electron microscopy (HREM).Growth of $\beta$-SiC with high density of microtwins and formation of ${\alpha}/{\beta}$ composite grains consisting of $\alpha$-SiC domain sandwiched between $\beta$-SiC domains were found in both specimens. When large $\alpha$-SiC (mostly 6H) seeds were added, the $\beta$-SiC transformend preferentially to the 6H polytype. In contrast, when large $\beta$-SiC (3C) seeds were added, the fine $\beta$-SiC transformed preferentially to the 4H polytype. Such results suggested that the polytype formation in SiC was influenced by crystalline form of seeds added as well as the chemistry of sintering aids. The ${\alpha}/{\beta}$ interface played and important role in the formation of elongated grains as evidenced by presence of ${\alpha}/{\beta}$ composite grains with high aspect ratio.

• The Korean Journal of Ceramics
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.39-42
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• 1996

${\alpha}-SiC$ powder with or without the addition of 0.1 wt% of large ${\alpha}-SiC$ partices(seeds) was pressureless-sintered at $1950^{\circ}C$ for 0.5, 2, and 4 h using $Y_3Al_5 O_{12}$ (yttrium aluminum garnet, YAG) as a sintering aid. The materials without seeds had an equiaxed grain struture. In contrast, the materials with seeds sintered for 2 and 4 h had a duplex microstructure with large elongated grains and amall equiaxed grains. Addition of large ${\alpha}-SiC$ seeds into ${\alpha}-SiC$ accelerated the grain growth of some ${\alpha}-SiC$ grains during sintering and resulted in the increased fracture toughness of the sintered materials. The fracture toughnesses of materials with or without seeds sintered for 4 h were 6.6 and $5.2 MPa \;m^{12}$, respectively.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.92-97
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• 1999

The mechanical and electrical properties of the hot-pressed and annealed $\beta-Sic$+39vol.%$ZrB_2$ electroconductive ceramic composites were investigated as a function of the liquid forming additives of $Al_2O_3+Y_2O_3(6:4wt%)$. In this microstructures, no reactions and elongated $\alpha$-SiC grains with equiaxed $ZrB_2$, gains were observed between $\beta-SiC$ and $ZrB_2$, and the relative density was over 97.6% of the theoretical density. Phase analysis of the composites by XRD revealedmostly of $\alpha$-SiC(6H, 4H), $ZrB_2$, and weakly $\beta-SiC$(15R) phase. The fracture toughness decreased with increasing $Al_2O_3+Y_2O_3$ contents and showed the highest of $6.37MPa.m^{\fraction ane-half}$ for composite added with 4wt% $Al_2O_3+Y_2O_3$ additives at room temperature. The electrical resistivity increased with increasing $Al_2O_3+Y_2O_3$contents and showed the lowest of $1.51\times10^{-4}\Omega.cm$ for composite added with $Al_2O_3+Y_2O_3$ additives at $25^{\circ}C$. This reason is the increasing tendency of pore formation according to amount of liquid forming additives $Al_2O_3+Y_2O_3$. The electrical resistivity of the composites was all positive temperature coefficient resistance(PTCR) against temperature up to $700^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.429-433
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• 2013

Silicon, carbon, and B4C powders were used as raw materials for the fabrication of porous SiC. ${\beta}$-SiC was synthesized at $1500^{\circ}C$ in an Ar atmosphere from a silicon and carbon mixture. The synthesized powders were pressed into disk shapes and then heated at $2100^{\circ}C$. ${\beta}$-SiC particles transformed to ${\alpha}$-SiC at over $1900^{\circ}C$, and rapid grain growth of ${\alpha}$-SiC subsequently occurred and a porous structure with elongated plate-type grains was formed. The mechanism of this rapid grain growth is thought to be an evaporation-condensation reaction. The mechanical properties of the fabricated porous SiC were investigated and discussed.