Comparison between the sintering of Si_3N_4 ceramics under air and nitrogen atmosphere

摘要

The sintering of Si_3N_4 ceramic under air atmosphere using β-powder, MgO and Al_2O_3 as starting materials was studied and compared with the Si_3N_4 sintered under nitrogen atmosphere. The mass loss behavior of the material sintered under air atmosphere significantly differs from the one sintered under the conventional nitrogen atmosphere. The physical and mechanical properties of the sintered materials obtained from the two different sintering methods were compared.