Gass presure sintered Si3N4 – MgSiN2 composites

Abstract

Si3N4 and MgSiN2-based ceramic composites have excellent thermo-physical and mechanical properties, however with limited industrial applications. In this paper the preparation of Si3N4/MgSiN2 composite by gas pressure sintering (GPS) is described and some of the mechanical properties like Vickers hardness and indentation fracture are characterised and compared with hot pressed (HP) samples. The 15,3 GPa hardness and 7,6 MPa∙m1/2 fracture toughness of GPS composites was slightly lower compared to HP samples (16,5 GPa, 8 MPa∙m1/2).