Effect of sintering conditions on texture formation of Si₃N₄ ceramic shaped up in a strong magnetic field

Si₃N₄ ceramics with preferential texture along a or b axis were shaped up by gel-casting in a magnetic field of 6T and then pressureless sintered. Effect of the sintering temperature and time on the texture formation of the Si₃N₄ceramics was investigated. It was found that the phase transformation of α to β was completed for the Si₃N₄ ceramics prepared by the present process. With the increasing sintering temperature the texture formation of Si₃N₄ ceramics may be enhanced, i.e. of which the degree of texture increased from 0.40 at 1700℃ to 0.76 at 1800℃. The extension of sintering time at 1750℃ had few effect on texture development of Si₃N₄ ceramics.