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Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

Silicon nitride (Si3N4) and zirconia (ZrO2) ceramics are well-known for their excellent wear resistance, high hardness, and high mechanical strength. This research focuses on the development and investigation of Si3N4–ZrO2 ceramic composites. Test specimens were fabricated by pressureless sintering at 1550-1650 oC for 2 hours in a nitrogen atmosphere, using SiO2, MgO, and Y2O3 as sintering additives. Density measurements indicated that the weight ratio of SiO2:MgO:Y2O3 at 3:3:5 promoted densification and improved with the addition of ZrO2 (3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia). However, the hardness of Si3N4 containing 5 wt% ZrO2 was 14.63 GPa and showed a decreasing trend as the ZrO2 content increased to 50 wt%. For the composite containing 75 wt% ZrO2, the hardness dropped to 10.18 GPa when sintered at 1600 oC. The flexural strength of sintered Si3N4 reached 924.42 MPa, which was comparable to that of pure ZrO2 at 977.93 MPa. High-stress abrasion resistance testing according to ASTM B611 showed that the sample containing 5 wt% ZrO2 exhibited the lowest volume loss of 18.97 mm³. In comparison, pure Si3N4 showed a volume loss of 25.10 mm³ under the same conditions, indicating that a small addition of 5 wt% ZrO2 can enhance wear resistance. In contrast, the sample with 75 wt% ZrO2 had the highest volume loss of 638.73 mm³, while the 100 wt% ZrO2 sample showed a loss of 543.74 mm³. The results demonstrate that optimum wear resistance is achieved through a balance between zirconia content and liquid-phase stability rather than maximizing zirconia concentration.

DOI

10.55713/jmmm.v36i3.2768

First Page

1

Last Page

9

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