High‐Temperature Strength and Cavitation Threshold of Silicon Nitride–Silica Ceramics

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Abstract
The role of high‐purity silica in the fracture of Si3N4 at high temperatures has been investigated. The flexural strength at 1400°C was found to be greater than that at room temperature. Little plastic deformation was observed even when 10 wt% SiO2 was added and the strain rate was decreased 2 orders of magnitude from that for a standard bend test. Microstructural observations revealed that the glassy phase was localized at intergranular pockets when SiO2 additions were ≤ 10 wt%. High strength at 1400°C despite the presence of a fairly large amount of glassy phase is attributed to a high cavitation threshold in such glassy pockets consisting of high‐purity SiO2. However, the deformation behavior changed abruptly for SiO2 additions of 10 and 20 wt%, which is explained by the morphological change of the glassy phase to thicker intergranular layers which allow macroscopic viscous flow.