Improved toughness of refractory compounds

The concept of grain-boundary-engineering through elimination of the grain-boundary silicate phase in silicon nitride was developed. The process involved removal of the silica from the nitride powder via a thermal treatment coupled with the use of nitride additives to compensate the remaining oxygen. Magnesium and aluminum nitrides are found to be the most effective additive for use as oxygen compensators. Strength decreases at elevated temperatures are not observed in the alumina containing material. The creep rate of a dual additive sialon composition was two orders of magnitude lower at 1400 C than commercial silicon nitride. A cursory analysis of the creep mechanism indicate that grain-boundary sliding is avoided through elimination of the grain-boundary silicate phase.