The microstructure and creep deformation of hot-pressed Si₃N₄ with different amounts of sintering additives

Abstract

Compressive creep deformation of hot-pressed silicon nitride with different amounts of grain boundary glassy phase was investigated at 1300–1400 °C under 30–100 MPa. The stress exponent of the creep rate was determined to be nearly unity. The apparent activation energy of silicon nitride with a larger amount of glassy phase was measured to be about 700 kJ/mole, and that with a smaller amount of glassy phase was found to be 400 kJ/mole. In addition, the microstructural observation found that no cavity appeared and grain boundary glass was recrystallized during creep test. Thus, the rate-limiting steps in solution/precipitation creep mechanism change from the solution-reprecipitation of Si₃N₄ grains to the diffusion through the grain boundary with increasing the amount of glassy phase.