Silicon nitride/boron nitride ceramic composites fabricated by reactive pressureless sintering

Using Si and BN powders as raw materials, silicon nitride/hexagonal boron nitride (Si3N4/BN) ceramic composites were fabricated at a relatively low temperature of 1450 °C by using the reaction bonding technology. The density and the nitridation rate, as well as the dimensional changes of the specimens before and after nitridation were discussed based on weight and dimension measurements. Phase analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that BN could promote the nitridation process of silicon powder. Morphologies of the fracture surfaces observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the fracture mode for Si3N4/BN ceramic composites to be intergranular. The flexural strength and Young's modulus decreased with the increasing BN content. The reaction-bonded Si3N4/BN ceramic composites showed better machinability compared with RBSN ceramics without BN addition.