ABSTRACT
Silicon nitride materials reinforced by nanozised silicon carbide are one of the promising candidates for high temperature applications. The densification of these materials is complicated due to the chemical interaction of the SiC with the silicon nitride and the oxynitride liquid phase. The influence of the amount and grain size of SiC on the densification was analysed based on thermodynamic considerations, experimental observed sintering curves and the grain growth during sintering. It will be shown that it is possible to produce dense nano-composite materials with excellent creep resistance by gas pressure sintering.
